Cibrarjo  ofChe  theological  ^eminar^ 

PRINCETON  .  NEW  JERSEY 


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PRESENTED  BY 

Rev.  Sheldon  Jackson,  D.R. 


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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2019  with  funding  from 
Alaska  Library  Network 


https://archive.org/details/alaskamissionsonOOunse_0 


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ALASKA, 


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MISSIONS  ON  THE  NORTH  PACIFIC 

COAST. 


BY 

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Rev.  SHELDON  JACKSON.  D.D. 


FULLY  ILLUSTRATED. 


NEW  YORK; 

DODD.  MEAD  &  COMPANY, 

Publishers, 


Copyright,  1880, 

By  DODD,  MEAD  &  COMPANY. 


Press'  oF  Richard  Handy 


PREFACE. 


In  the  preparation  of  this  volume,  I  have  received 
valuable  assistance  from  Wm,  H.  Dali,  Esq.,  Smith- 
sonian  Institution  ;  Mr.  Marcus  Baker,  U.  S.  Coast 
Survey  ;  Prof.  J.  W.  Powell,  Bureau  of  Ethnology, 
Smithsonian  Institution  ;  Prof.  J.  E.  Nourse,  U.  S. 
Navy  ;  Rev.  John  L.  French,  Washington  ;  Hon. 
Wm.  Gouverneur  Morris,  U.  S.  Treasury  Agent ; 
Messrs.  Lee  &  Shepard,  Boston  ;  Mr.  Ivan  Petroff, 
San  Francisco,  and  Mr.  E.  Conklin,  New  York  City, 
to  all  of  whom  I  return  thanks. 

The  Author. 


Denver,  Col.,  February  2d,  1880. 


i 


I 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

Great  Extent  of  Country — Natural  Phenomena- -Divisions-^ 
Agriculture — Islands — Mountains — Volcanoes —  Glaciers 
—  Aurora  Borealis — Mineral  Springs — Rivers — Furs  — 
Fisheries — Lumber — Coal — :  Petroleum — Copper —  Iron- 
Sulphur — Gold — Climate — Kuro-Siwo — Routes  of  Travel.  13 

CHAPTER  H. 

Population — Customs —  Houses — Dances —  Feasts — Crema¬ 
tion — Religious  Beliefs — Shamanism .  62 

CHAPTER  HI. 

The  Degradation  of  Indian  Women  in  Alaska — Female  In¬ 
fanticide — The  Sale  of  Girls — Female  Slavery — Polygamy 
— Habitations  of  Cruelty — Widow-burning — Murder  of 
the  Old  and  Feeble .  115 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Greek  and  Lutheran  Churches — Preliminary  Steps  Toward 
American  Missions .  124 


CHAPTER  V. 

The  Commencement  of  Presbyterian  Missions  in  Alaska — 

Mrs.  A.  R.  McFarland — Her  Varied  Duties — Sickness  and 
Death  of  Clah — Christmas  Welcome  ...  . . . . .  140 


VI 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

PAGE. 

Indian  Constitutional  Convention— Great  Speech  of  Toy-a- 
att — Native  Police — Indians  making  a  Treaty  of  Peace — 
Need  of  a  Home  for  Girls — Witchcraft — Home  Commenced 
— Arrival  of  Rev.  S.  Hall  Young .  i66 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Sketch  of  Sitka — Arrival  of  Rev.  John  G.  Brady  and  Miss 
Fannie  E.  Kellogg — Commencement  of  School — Mission¬ 
ary  Journeys  of  Mr.  Brady — Marriage  of  Miss  Kellogg — 
School  of  Mr.  Alonzo  E.  Austin .  ig6 

CHAPTER  VHI. 

Appeal  for  Funds  for  Mission  Buildings — The  Response — 

Joy  at  the  Mission — Arrival  of  Dr.  Corlies  and  Family — 
Coming  of  the  Roman  Catholics — Arrival  of  Miss  Maggie 
J.  Dunbar  as  Teacher — Visit  of  Rev.  Henry  Kendall, 
D.D.,and  others — Rejoicing  of  the  Indians — Organization 
of  the  Church — Erection  of  Buildings .  216 

CHAPTER  IX. 

A  Canoe  Voyage — Deserted  Indian  Village  —  Toiling  in 
Rowing — Councils  with  Chilcats,  Hydas,  and  Tongas — 

New  Fields — Fort  Tongas — Driving  before  the  Storm — 

An  Indian  Welcome .  254 

CHAPTER  X. 

Missions  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society  of  England  in 
British  Columbia  on  the  Border  of  Alaska — Cannibalism 
— A  Christian  Village — Triumphs  of  Grace — Tradition 
Concerning  the  First  Appearance  of  the  Whites .  273 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Missions  of  the  Methodist  Church  of  Canada  in  British 
Columbia — A  Great  Revival — Wonderful  Experiences....  302 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Portrait  of  the  author,  steel  engraving  (Frontispiece). 
Map  of  Alaska. 

Travelling  on  a  dog  sled . 

Eskimo  village . . 

Ptarmigan . 

An  Arctic  mountain  scene . . 

Capturing  a  whale  in  Behring  Sea .  . . 

Alaska  House . . . . 

Sled  dog  .  . 

Eskimo  sled . . . . 

Snow  shovel . . 

Stone  kettle . . 

Bone  lamp . 

Bone  fork. . . 

Aurora  borealis . 

Breaking  up  of  the  ice  in  the  Yukon . 

Fishing  village . 

Hunting  walrus . ; . 

Walrus  head . 

Knife  for  cutting  blocks  of  snow . 

Seal-skin  canoe . 

Innuit  arrows . 

Innuit  knife  and  saw .  . 

Eskimo  head . . . 

Playing  the  Key-low-tik . 

Key-low-tik  and  Ken-toon.  . . . 


PAGE. 


16 

17 

19 

20 

21 

27 

30 

32 

32 

35 

35 

35 

39 

43 

47 

55 

57 

59 

59 

59 

59 

61 

63 

65 


viii  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE. 

Eskimo  snow  house .  68 

Diagram  of  the  same .  6g 

Eskimo  hunter .  70 

Eskimo  woman .  71 

Bone  comb .  72 

Horns  of  musk  ox .  77 

Hunting  musk  ox .  75 

Carved  images,  Fort  Wrangell .  81 

Totem  poles,  Fort  Wrangell  .  79 

Ladle  from  horns  of  musk  ox . 84 

Ivory  knives,  forks,  and  spoons .  85 

Carved  ivory  comb .  85 

Deer-skin  boots .  86 

Carved  canoe-head .  86 

Tomb  of  a  chief’s  son,  Fort  Wrangell .  88 

Innuit  grave .  89 

Ingalik  grave .  89 

Ekogmut  grave .  90 

Cremation .  93 

Innuit  knife .  99 

Stone  knife . 99 

Carved  spoon-handle .  99 

Aleutian  mask .  100 

Innuit  bone  charm .  loi 

Seal-tooth  head-dress .  105 

Innuit  harpoon  heads .  106 

Shaman  and  sick  man .  iii 

Tattooing .  119 

Eskimo  woman  and  babe .  123 

Sitka .  125 

Chief’s  house.  Fort  Wrangell  .  134 

Fort  Wrangell  village .  141 

Mrs.  A.  R.  McFarland...’ .  146 

The  McFarland  school .  149 

Clah .  159 

Alaska  Fox .  165 

Shaaks  lying  in  state .  179 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  ix 

PAGE, 

The  Home,  Fort  Wrangell . 187 

Rev.  S.  Hall  Young .  191 

A  Puffin .  195 

Rear  view  of  Greek  church,  Sitka .  197 

Bay  of  Sitka . 199 

The  Castle  and  Custom-House,  Sitka .  201 

Rev.  John  G.  Brad;- .  203 

The  barracks,  Sitka .  207 

Mission  group.  Fort  Wrangell .  231 

Seal-skin  shoes .  241 

Seal  Skin  moccasins .  241 

Indians  gambling .  243 

A  scalp  dance .  257 

Stone  implements . 262 

Aurora  on  the  Yukon .  267 

Alaska  sea-gull .  272 

Dog  eaters .  277 

Kindling  a  fire  by  friction .  285 

Indian  family  on  the  Yukon .  291 

A  canoe  voyage .  301 

Great  medicine  man .  303 

Methodist  Church,  Fort  Simpson .  309 

Heathen  dance,  Alaska .  313 

Sled .  327 


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ALASKA. 


- ^ - 

CHAPTER  I. 

Great  Extent  of  Country — Natural  Phenomena — Divisions  — Ag 
riculture — Islands — Mountains — Volcanoes —  Glaciers  —  Aurora 
Borealis — Mineral  Springs — Rivers — Furs — Fisheries —  Lumber 
— Coal — Petroleum — Copper — Iron — Sulphur —  Gold  —  Climate 
— Kuro-Siwo — Routes  of  Travel. 

“  Go  ye  and  look  upon  that  land, 

That  far,  vast  land  that  few  behold  ; 

Go  journey  with  the  seasons  through 
Its  wastes,  and  learn  how  limitless.” 

During  the  spring  of  1867  the  United  States  Sen¬ 
ate  was  the  scene  of  a  stormy  debate  over  the  ratifi¬ 
cation  of  the  treaty  with  Russia  for  the  purchase  of 
Alaska.  Upon  that  occasion  Charles  Sumner  deliv¬ 
ered  one  of  his  finest  orations.  As  he  unfolded  the 
resources  of  that  vast,  distant,  and  unknown  land, 
even  learned  men  listened  with  eager  interest.  As  he 
presented  its  intimate  relations  to  our  Pacific  coast 
possessions,  patriotisQi  glowed  with  a  warmer  enthu¬ 
siasm.  As  he  spoke  of  its  grand  future,  every  heart 
was  thrilled,  and  the  determined  opposition  of  many 
was  overcome. 


S4  MR.  SEWARD’S  OPINION  OF  ALASKA. 

The  treaty,  which  was  made  March  30th,  1867,  was 
ratified  by  the  United  States  Senate  on  the  28th  of 
May  ;  and  on  the  i8th  of  October,  1867,  Russian 
America  was  formally  turned  over  to  the  United 
States  upon  the  payment  of  17,200,000, 

The  attention  and  interest  that  had  been  awakened 
at  the  time  of  the  heated  debate  in  the  Senate  soon 
died  away.  The  American  people  almost  lost  sight 
of  their  new  possession,  or  only  occasionally  recalled 
it  as  Secretary  Seward’s  folly. 

This  was  not  unexpected  to  that  great  statesman. 
Nor  did  it  shake  his  confidence  in  the  value  of  that 
country.  At  a  public  dinner  given  him  upon  retiring 
to  private  life,  to  the  question,  “  Mr.  Seward,  what 
do  you  consider  the  most  important  act  of  your  offi¬ 
cial  life  ?”  he  unhesitatingly  replied,  “  The  purchase 
of  Alaska  then,  after  a  moment’s  pause,  he  added, 
“  But  it  may  take  two  generations  before  the  pur¬ 
chase  is  appreciated.” 

The  old  statesman  was  right.  It  was  his  crowning 
glory  to  have  added  a  new  empire  to  his  country’s 
domain.  For,  as  its  name  signifies,  it  is  an  empire 
itself. 


Alaska  is  an  English  corruption  of  the  native  word 
”  Al-ak-shak,”  which  means  ”  a  great  country  or  con¬ 
tinent.  ’  ’ 

And  it  is  indeed  a  great  country,  covering  over 
580,107  square  ihiles,  an  area  equal  to  the  original 
thirteen  States  of  the  Union  with  the  great  ”  North¬ 
west  Territory  ”  added  ;  or,  in  other  words,  Alaska 
is  as  large  as  ail  of  the  United  States  east  of  the  Mis¬ 
sissippi  River  and  north  of  Alabama,  Georgia,  and. 


GREAT  EXTENT  OF  COUNTRY. 


15 


North  Carolina.  Its  extreme  breadth  from  east  to 
west  is  two  thousand  two  hundred  miles  in  an  air 
line.  According  to  Professor  Guyot,  a  recognized 
authority  on  all  geographical  matters,  the  island  of 
Attu  in  Alaska  is  as  far  west  of  San  Francisco  as  the 
coast  of  Maine  is  east  of  that  city  ;  or,  in  other  words, 
San  Francisco  is  the  great  middle  city  between  the 
extreme  east  and  west  of  the  United  States.  The  ex¬ 
treme  breadth  of  Alaska  from  north  to  south  is  one 
thousand  four  hundred  miles.  The  shore  line  up  and 
down  the  bays  and  around  the  islands,  according  to 
the  United  States  Coast  Survey,  measures  twenty-five 
thousand  miles,  or  two  and  one  half  times  more 
than  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  coast  lines  of  the  re¬ 
maining  portion  of  the  United  States.  The  coast  of 
Alaska,  if  extended  in  a  straight  line,  would  belt  the 
globe. 

Commencing  at  the  north  shore  of  Dixon  Inlet,  in 
latitude  54^^  40',  the  coast  sweeps  in  a  long  regular 
curve  north  and  west  to  the  entrance  of  Prince  Wil¬ 
liam’s  Sound,  a  distance  of  550  miles  ;  thence  725 
miles  south  and  west  to  Unimak  Pass  at  the  end  of 
the  Aliaska  Peninsula.  From  this  pass  the  Aleutian 
chain  of  islands  sweep- 1075  miles  in  a  long  curve  al¬ 
most  across  to  Asia,  the  dividing  line  between  Asia 
and  Alaska  being,  according  to  the  treaty  made  with 
Russia,  the  meridian  of  193°  west  longitude.  North 
of  Unimak  Pass  the  coast  forms  a  zigzag  line  to 
Point  Barrow  on  the  Arctic  Ocean.  The  general 
shape  of  Alaska  is  that  of  the  head  and  horns  of  an 
ox  inverted  ;  the  main  body  of  land  forming  the 


i6 


THE  YUKON  DISTRICT. 


head,  the  Peninsula  and  Aleutian  Islands  the  one 
horn,  and  the  South-eastern  Peninsula  the  other. 

This  physical  configuration  naturally  divides  it  into 
three  districts — the  Yukon,  extending  from  the 
Alaskan  range  of  mountains  to  the  Arctic  Ocean  ; 
the  Aleutian,  embracing  the  Aliaska  Peninsula  and 
islands  west  of  the  155th  degree  of  longitude,  and  the 
Sitkan,  including  South-eastern  Alaska. 


TRAVELLING  ON  DOG-SLED. 

Concerning  the  Yukon  District  but  little  is  known, 
except  of  the  coast  and  along  the  Yukon  River. 
“  The  Coast  Pilot,”  a  publication  of  the  United 
States  Coast  Survey,  represents  the  country  between 
Norton  Sound  and  the  Arctic  Ocean  as  ‘‘a  vast 
moorland,  whose  level  is  only  interrupted  by  promon¬ 
tories  and  isolated  mountains,  with  numerous  lakes, 
bogs,  and  peat-beds.  Wherever  drainage  exists,  the 


VILLAGE,  ALASKA 


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VEGETATION  IN  ALASKA. 


19 


ground  is  covered  with  a  luxuriant  herbage  and 
produces  the  rarest  as  well  as  most  beautiful  plants. 
The  aspect  of  some  of  these  spots  is  very  gay.  Many 
flowers  are  large,  their  colors  bright,  and  though 
white  and  yellow  predominate,  other  tints  are  not 
uncommon.  Summer  sets  in  most  rapidly  in  May, 


ALASKA  PTARMIGAN. 

and  the  landscape  is  quickly  overspread  with  a  lively 
green.”  The  extreme  heat  and  constant  sunshine 
cause  it  to  produce  rank  vegetation.  The  commer¬ 
cial  value  of  this  section  is  mainly  in  its  furs. 

Turnips,  radishes,  and  salad  have  been  successfully 
raised  at  St.  Michael,  Nulato,  and  Fort  Yukon. 
Grasses  and  fodder  are  abundant  ;  among  the  former 
are  the  Kentucky  blue-grass,  wood-meadow  and 


20 


ALEUTIAN  DISTRICT. 


blue-joint  grasses.  This  latter  averages  three  feet  in 
height.  The  red  and  black  currants,  gooseberries, 
cranberries,  raspberries,  thimbleberries,  salmon- 
berries,  blueberries,  killikinik  berries,  bearberries, 
dewberries,  twinberries,  service  or  heath  berries, 
mossberries,  and  roseberries,  grow  in  great  abun¬ 
dance  in  all  sections  of  Alaska.  Hundreds  of  barrels 


AN  ARCTIC  MOUNTAIN  SCENE. 

of  wild  cranberries  are  annually  picked  by  the  Ind¬ 
ians  and  shipped  to  San  Francisco. 

The  Aleutian  District  is  largely  mountainous  and 
of  volcanic  formation.  Between  the  mountains  and 
the  sea  are,  however,  many  natural  prairies,  with  a 
rich  soil  of  vegetable  mould  and  clay,  and  covered 
with  perennial  wild  grasses, 


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VEGETABLES  AT  SITKA. 


23 


Dr.  Kellogg,  botanist  of  the  United  States  Explor¬ 
ing  Expedition,  writes  :  “  Unalaska  abounds  in 

grasses,  with  a  climate  better  adapted  for  haying 
than  the  coast  of  Oregon.  The  cattle  were  remark¬ 
ably  fat.  Milk  is  abundant.” 

William  H.  Dali,  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution, 
predicts  that  the  Aleutian  District  will  yet  furnish 
California  with  its  best  butter  and  cheese. 

This  district,  except  at  the  eastern  end,  is  without 
timber  larger  than  a  shrub.  The  principal  resource 
at  present  is  in  the  wonderful  fisheries  off  its  coast. 

TheSitkan  District  is  mountainous  in  the  extreme, 
and  the  larger  portion  covered  with  dense  forests. 
The  great  wealth  of  this  district  is  in  its  lumber,  fish, 
and  minerals.  Many  garden  vegetables  are  raised 
with  success.  Rev.  John  G.  Brady,  Presbyterian 
missionary  at  Sitka,  writes  : 

”  The  Kake  Indians  furnished  the  Russians  with 
potatoes.  Some  of  the  natives  at  Wrangell  are  clear¬ 
ing  off  garden  patches  this  year.  Much  can  be  done 
in  this  direction,  for  Alaska  will  furnish  vegetables 
for  a  teeming  population.  There  are  several  thou¬ 
sand  acres  in  the  neighborhood  of  this  place,  upon 
which  the  finest  vegetables  may  be  raised  with  cer¬ 
tainty.  The  soil,  for  the  most  part,  is  a  vegetable 
mould  mixed  with  sand.  Mr.  Smiegh,  of  this  place, 
has  had  a  garden  for  the  last  seven  years.  He  says 
that  he  has  grown  cabbages  weighing  twenty-seven 
pounds.  He  has  tried  peas,  carrots,  leeks,  parsnips, 
turnips,  lettuce,  radishes,  onions,  potatoes,  celery, 
parsley,  horseradish  and  rhubarb.  He  has  tried  cu¬ 
cumbers  and  beans,  but  they  did  not  do  well.  Cauli- 


24 


SCENERY. 


flower  and  celery  surpass  any  that  he  has  raised  in 
other  places.  The  wild  black  currants  abound  in 
the  woods.  The  tame  currants  do  well,  and  are  sure. 
Gooseberries  do  well,  and  have  a  delicate  flavor. 
The  cabbage  gro.ws  wild,  and  six  or  eight  inches  in 
diameter.  Mr.  Burns,  who  has  had  a  garden  for 
the  last  three  years,  agrees  with  Mr.  Smiegh.  The 
strawberry  grows  wild  near  Mount  Edgecumbe.” 

During  the  summer  of  1879  I  cut  at  Fort  Wrangell 
wild  timothy  that  would  average  five  feet  in  height, 
and  blue-grass  that  would  average  six  feet  ,  the 
longest  stem  measured  seven  feet  three  inches.  Pro¬ 
fessor  Muir,  State  Geologist  of  California,  testifies 
that  he  never  met  anywhere  outside  of  the  tropics 
such  rank  vegetation  as  in  this  district. 

Alaska  is  not  only  “a  great  land”  in  its  large 
area,  but  also  in  its  natural  phenomena.  Captain 
Butler,  an  English  officer,  crossing  that  great 
”  north-land,”  writes  that  ”  Nature  has  here  graven 
her  image  in  such  colossal  characters  that  man  seems 
to  move  slowly  amid  an  ocean  frozen  rigid  by  the 
lapse  of  time — -frozen  into  those  things  we  call  moun¬ 
tains,  rivers,  prairies,  and  forests.  Rivers  whose 
single  lengths  roll  through  twice  two  thousand  miles 
of  shoreline  ;  prairies  over  which  a  traveller  can  steer 
for  weeks  without  resting  his  gaze  on  aught  save  the 
dim  verge  of  the  ever-shifting  horizon  ;  mountains 
rent  by  rivers,  ice-topped,  glacier-seared,  impassa¬ 
ble  ;  forests  wJiose  sombre  pines  darken  a  region 
half  as  large  as  Europe.  In  summer  a  land  of  sound, 
a  land  echoing  with  the  voices  of  birds,  the  ripple  of 
running  water,  the  mournful  music  of  the  waving 


ISLANDS. 


25 


pine  branch.  In  winter  a  land  of  silence,  its  great 
rivers  glimmering  in  the  moonlight,  wrapped  in  their 
shrouds  of  ice  ;  its  still  forests  rising  weird  and  spec¬ 
tral  against  the  aurora-lighted  horizon  ;  its  nights  so 
still  that  the  moving  streamers  across  the  northern 
skies  seem  to  carry  to  the  ear  a  sense  of  sound.” 

Alaska  is  the  great  island  region  of  the  United 
States,  having  off  its  southern  coast  an  archipelago 
rivalling  the  better  known  archipelagoes  of  the 
Southern  Pacific.  The  732  miles  of  latitude  from  the 
western  terminus  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  at 
the  head  of  Puget  Sound  in  Washington  Territory 
to  the  head  of  Lynn  Channel  in  Alaska  contain  one 
of  the  most  remarkable  stretches  of  inland  ocean  nav¬ 
igation  in  the  world.  It  is  remarkable  for  its  bold 
shores,  deep  water,  numerous  channels,  innumerable 
bays  and  harbors,  abundance  of  fuel  and  fresh  water, 
and  shelter  from  the  swells  of  the  ocean.  The  great 
mountainous  islands  of  Vancouver,  Queen  Charlotte, 
Prince  of  Wales,  Wrangell,  Baranoff,  Chichagoff,  and 
others  form  a  complete  breakwater,  so  that  the 
traveller  can  enjoy  an  ocean  voyage  of  a  thousand 
miles  without  getting  out  to  sea  and  without  sea¬ 
sickness,  the  trip  being  made  through  channels  be¬ 
tween  the  islands  and  the  main  land. 

The  labyrinth  of  channels  around  and  between  the 
islands  that  are  in  some  places  less  than  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  wide,  and  yet  too  deep  to  droo  anchor,  the  moun¬ 
tains  rising  from  the  water’s  edge  from  1000  to  8000 
feet,  and  covered  with  dense  forests  of  evergreen 
far  up  into  t^ie  snow  that  crowns  their  summits  ;  the 
frequent  track  of  the  avalanche,  cutting  a  broad  road 


26 


MOUNTAINS. 


from  mountain-top  to  water’s  edj^e  ;  the  beautiful 
cascades  born  of  glaciers  or  the  overflow  of  high  in¬ 
land  lakes,  pouring  over  mountain  precipices  or 
gliding  like  a  silver  ribbon  down  their  sides  ;  the 
deep  gloomy  sea-fiords,  cleaving  the  mountains  far 
into  the  interior  ;  the  beautiful  kaleidoscopic  vistas 
opening  up  among  the  innumerable  islets  ;  mountain- 
tops  domed,  peaked,  and  sculptured  by  glaciers  ;  the 
glaciers  themselves  sparkling  and  glistening  in  the 
sunlight,  dropping  down  from  the  mountain  heights 
like  some  great  swollen  river,  filled  with  drift-wood 
and  ice,  and  suddenly  arrested  in  its  flow — all  go  to 
make  up  a  scene  of  grandeur  and  beauty  that  cannot 
be  placed  upon  canvas  or  adequately  described  with 
words.  When  the  attractions  of  that  trip  are  better 
known,  thousands  will  make  a  pleasure  tour  along 
the  coast  of  Alaska. 

The  southern  portion  of  this  great  archipelago  is 
in  Washington  Territory,  the  central  portion  in  Brit¬ 
ish  Columbia,  and  the  northern  portion  in  Alaska. 
This  latter  has  been  named  the  Alexander  Archipel¬ 
ago,  in  honor  of  the  Czar  of  Russia.  It  is  about  300 
miles  north  and  south  and  75  miles  east  and  west, 
containing  1 100  islands  that  have  been  counted.  The 
aggregate  area  of  these  islands  is  14,142  square  miles. 
Six  hundred  miles  to  the  westward  is  the  Kadiak 
group,  aggregating  5676  square  miles,  then  the  Shu- 
magin  group,  containing  1031  square  miles,  and  the 
Aleutian  chain,  with  an  area  of  6391  square  miles. 
To  the  northward  is  the  Pribyloff  (seal  islands)  group, 
containing,  with  the  other  islands  in  Bering's  Sea, 
3963  square  miles.  The  total  area  of  the  islands  of 


AN  ALASKA  HOUSE  OF  CEDAR  PLANK. 


V 


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' 


VOLCANOES. 


29 


Alaska  is  31,205  square  miles,  which  would  make  a 
State  as  large  as  the  great  State  of  Maine. 

It  is  the  region  of  the  highest  mountain-peaks  in 
the  United  States.  The  coast  range  of  California 
and  the  Rocky  Mountain  range  of  Colorado  and 
Montana  unite  in  Alaska  to  form  the  Alaskan  Moun¬ 
tains.  This  range,  instead  of  continuing  northward, 
to  the  Arctic  Ocean,  as  the  old  atlases  represent, 
turns  to  the  south-westward,  extends  through  and 
forms  the  Aliaska  Peninsula,  and  then  gradually  sinks 
into  the  Pacific  Ocean,  leaving  only  the  highest  peaks 
visible  above  the  water.  These  peaks  form  the 
Aleutian  chain  of  islands.  These  islands  decrease  in 
size,  height,  and  frequency  as  the  mountain  range 
sinks  lower  into  the  ocean.  Unimak,  the  most  eastern 
of  the  chain,  has  that  magnificent  volcano  Shishaldin, 
9000  feet  high  ;  then  Unalashka,  5691  feet  ;  next 
Atka,  4852  feet  ;  then  Kyska,  3700  feet,  and  Attu, 
the  most  western  of  the  group,  only  3084  feet  high. 

In  the  Alaskan  range  are  the  highest  peaks  in 
the  United  States — Mount  St.  Elias,  19,500  feet  high  ; 
Mount  Cook,  16,000  feet  ;  Mount  Crillon,  15,900  ; 
Mount  Fairweather,  15,500,  and  numerous  others.  In 
addition  to  the  Alaskan  range,  the  Shaktolik  and  Ulu- 
kuk  Hills,  near  Norton  Sound  ;  the  Yukon  and  Roman- 
zoff  Hills,  north  of  the  Yukon  River;  the  Kaiyuh 
and  Nowikakat  Mountains,  east  and  south  of  the 
river,  and  a  low  range  of  hills  bordering  the  Arctic 
coast. 

Alaska  contains  the  great  volcanic  system  of  the 
United  States.  Grewingk  enumerates  61  volcanoes,' 
mainly  on  the  Aliaska  Peninsula  and  Aleutian  Islands, 


30 


TRADITIONS. 


that  have  been  active  since  the  settlement  by  Euro 
peans.  The  violence  of  the  volcanic  forces  is  said  to 
be  decreasing,  so  that  only  ten  are  now  belching  out 
smoke  and  ashes. 

One  of  the  extinct  volcanoes  is'Mount  Edgecumbe, 
near  Sitka.  Its  funnel-shaped  crater  is  2000  feet 


SLEJJ-DUG. 


across  and  about  400  feet  deep.  It  is  on  the  south¬ 
ern  point  of  Kruzoff  Island,  and  has  an  elevation  of 
2855  feet. 

Rev.  John  G.  Brady  gives  the  following  traditions 
concerning  it  :  “  This  is  a  Mount  Olympus  for  the 
natives.  They  say  that  the  first  Indian  pair  lived 


VOLCANIC  ERUPTION. 


31 


peaceably  for  a  long  time,  and  were  blessed  with 
children.  But  one  day  a  family  jar  occurred.  The 
husband  and  wife  grew  very  angry  at  each  other. 
For  this  the  man  was  changed  into  a  wolf  and  the 
woman  into  a  raven.  The  metamorphosed  woman 
flew  down  into  the  open  crater  of  Mount  Edgecumbe, 
lit  on  a  stump,  and  is  now  holding  the  earth  on  her 
wings.  Whenever  there  is  thunder  and  lightning 
around  the  summit,  it  is  only  the  wolf  giving  vent 
to  his  rage  while  he  is  trying  to  pull  her  off  the 
stump.  It  would  be  a  great  calamity  if  she  should 
lose  her  grip,  for  then  the  earth  would  be  upset  and 
all  who  live  upon  it  perish.  So  whenever  it  thun¬ 
ders  the  Indians  take  stones  and  pound  on  the  floors 
of  their  houses  to  encourage  the  raven  to  hold  to  the 
stump. 

‘  ‘  Another  m  yth  is  that  a  being  who  is  half  dog  and 
half  Indian  lives  on  the  top.  He  comes  down  once  a 
year  near  the  harbor  to  catch  halibut.  He  covers 
himself  with  an  eagle’s  skin.  But  upon  his  first  at¬ 
tempts  to  fly  to  the  crest  he  failed.  In  his  efforts 
he  scratched  the  grooves  and  deep  gullies  in  the 
mountain-side.  After  repeated  attempts  he  got  so 
that  he  could  fly,  and  now  he  feeds  on  whales,  which 
he  carries  to  his  home  in  the  crater.” 

On  the  Naass  River,  just  across  from  Southern 
Alaska,  is  a  remakable  lava  overflow  from  a  volcano 
in  the  neighborhood.  The  Indian^tale  is  that  some 
cruel  children,  playing  at  the  mouth  of  a  small 
stream,  were  catching  the  salmon,  and,  cutting  open 
their  backs,  put  stones  in  them  and  let  them  go 
again.  The  Good  Spirit,  being  angry-  set  the  river 


32 


TRADITIONS 


on  fire  and  burnt  up  the  children,  and  the  Lava  Plain 
remains  as  the  memento.  The  diverted  channel  of 


ESKIMO  SLED  AND  SNOW-SHOVEL. 

the  Naass  River  is  still  called  New  River  by  the 
Indians, 


GLACIERS. 


33 


A  correspondent  of  the  San  Francisco  Bulletin 
speaks  of  a  fresh  eruption  in  1878  on  the  Island  of 
Umnak  :  “  The  inhabitants  of  villages  on  the  west 
and  south  side  of  Unalashka  Island  complain  of  the 
sudden  disappearance  of  fish  from  their  shores  and 
streams.  The  cause  of  the  disastrous  phenomenon  is 
a  volcanic  eruption  on  the  adjoining  island  of  Um¬ 
nak,  accompanied  by  a  heavy  fall  of  hot  ashes  and 
earthquakes.  The  volcano  on  Umnak  has  been 
considered  extinct  tor  many  years  past,  but  two  weeks 
ago  a  new  crater  opened,  at  least  ten  miles  away  on 
a  sloping  plain  of  but  slight  elevation  above  the  sea 
level.  Owing  to  the  latter  circumstance  the  lava 
flows  but  slowly,  and  hardens  before  it  reaches  the 
shore,  but  the  fall  cf  ashes  extends  over  a  large  area 
of  land  and  water.  Persons  passing  the  east  side  of 
the  island  in  canoes  suffer  from  sulphurous  gases 
whenever  the  wind  blows  from  the  shore,  and  the 
thundering  noise  of  the  eruption  can  be  heard  at  the 
village  of  Unalashka  during  the  still  hours  of  the 
night.” 

It  is  the  great  glacier  region.  From  Bute  Inlet  to 
Unimak  Pass  nearly  every  deep  gulch  has  its  glacier, 
some  of  which  are  vastly  greater  and  grander  than 
any  glacier  of  the  Alps. 

On  Lynn  Channel  is  a  glacier  computed  to  be  1200 
feet  thick  at  the  ”  snout”  or  lower  projection.  In 
one  of  the  gulches  of  Mount  Fairweather  is  a  glacier 
that  extends  fifty  miles  to  the  sea,  where  it  ends 
abruptly  in  a  perpendicular  ice-wall  300  feet  high  and 
eight  miles  broad.  Thirty-five  miles  above  Wrangell, 
on  the  Stickeen  River,  between  two  mountains  3000 


34 


GLACIERS. 


feet  high,  is  an  immense  glacier  forty  miles  long  and 
at  the  base  four  to  five  miles  across,  and  variously 
estimated  from  500  to  1000  feet  high  or  deep. 

Opposite  this  glacier,  just  across  the  river,  are 
large  boiling  springs.  The  Indians  regard  this  gla- 
sier  as  a  personificatiou  of  a  mighty  ice-god,  who  has 
issued  from  his  mountain  home  invested  with  power 
before  which  all  nature  bows  in  submission.  They 
describe  him  as  crashing  his  way  through  the  canon 
till  its  glistening  pinnacles  looked  upon  the  domains 
of  the  river-god,  and  that  after  a  conflict  the  ice- 
god  conquered,  and  spanned  the  river’s  breadth  so 
completely  that  the  river-god  v/as  forced  to  crawl 
underneath.  The  Indians  then  sent  their  medicine¬ 
man  to  learn  how  this  could  be  avoided.  The  answer 
came  that  if  a  noble  chief  and  fair  maiden  would 
offer  themselves  a  sacrifice  by  taking  passage  under 
the  long,  dark,  winding  ice-arch,  his  anger  would  be 
appeased,  and  the  river  be  allowed  to  go  on  its  way 
undisturbed.  When  the  two  were  found  and  adorned, 
their  arms  bound,  and  seated  in  a  canoe,  the  fatal 
journey  was  made,  and  the  ice  has  never  again  at¬ 
tempted  to  cross  the  river.  At  one  of  these  glaciers 
ships  from  California  have  anchored  and  taken  on 
cargoes  of  ice. 

Another  tradition  given  me  by  one  of  their  medi¬ 
cine-men  was  that  years  ago  a  tribe  which  resided 
on  the  upper  wmters  of  the  Stickeen  River  wanted  to 
come  down  and  see  the  great  salt  water.  But  the 
great  ice-mountain  of  the  Stickeen  at  that  time 
spanned  the  river  and  barricaded  all  passing  up  or 
down.  The  water,  indeed,  ran  under  the  ice,  but 


A  RIVER  BARRICADE. 


35 


they  did  not  know  whether  they  could  go  through 
safely  with  their  canoes.  While  they  were  assembled 
in  solemn  council,  consulting  about  it,  two  old  men 


of  the  tribe  offered  to  attempt  the  passage.  They 
said  :  “  If  we  are  lost,  it  will  only  shorten  our  lives  a 
very  little  ;  but  if  we  succeed,  then  you  can  all  fol- 


36 


GLACIER  NEAR  CAPE  FANSHAW. 


ow.’'  They  chanted  their  death-song  and  disap¬ 
peared  beneath  the  ice.  The  passage  was  made  safely, 
and  their  people  followed. 

Professor  John  Muir,  State  Geologist  of  California, 
accompanying  our  party  on  a  trip  to  a  large  glacier 
near  Cape  Fanshaw,  thus  describes  it  : 

“  The  whole  front  and  brow  of  this  majestic  gla¬ 
cier  is  dashed  and  sculptured  into  a  maze  of  yawning 
chasms  and  crevices  and  a  bewildering  variety  of 
strange  architectural  forms,  appalling  to  the  strongest 
nerves,  but  novel  and  beautiful  beyond  measure — 
clusters  of  glittering  lance-tipped  spires,  gables  and 
obelisks,  bold  outstanding  bastions  and  plain  mural 
cliffs,  adorned  along  the  top  with  fretted  cornice  and 
battlement,  while  every  gorge  and  crevasse,  chasm 
and  hollow  was  filled  with  light,  shimmering  and 
pulsing  in  pale  blue  tones  of  ineffable  tenderness  and 
loveliness.  The  day  was  warm,  and  back  on  the 
broad  waving  bosom  of  the  glacier  water-streams 
were  outspread  in  a  complicated  network,  each  in 
its  own  frictionless  channel  cut  down  through  the 
porous,  decaying  ice  of  the  surface  into  the  quick  and 
living  blue,  and  flowing  with  a  grace  of  motion  and 
a  ring  and  gurgle  and  flashing  of  light  to  be  found 
only  on  the  crystal  hills  and  dales  of  a  glacier. 

“  Along  the  sides  we  could  see  the  mighty  flood 
grinding  against  the  granite  with  tremendous  press¬ 
ure,  rounding  the  outswelling  bosses,  deepening  and 
.  smoothing  the  retreating  hollows,  and  shaping  every 
portion  of  the  mountain  wails  into  the  forms  they  were 
meant  to  have,  when  in  the  fulness  of  appointed 
time  the  ice-tool  should  be  lifted  and  set  aside  by 


MINERAL  SPRINGS. 


37 


the  sun.  Every  feature  glowed  with  intention, 
reflecting  the  earth-plans  of  God.  Back  two  or  three 
miles  from  the  front  the  current  is  now  probably 
about  twelve  hundred  feet  deep  ;  but  when  we  ex¬ 
amine  the  walls,  the  grooved  and  rounded  features, 
so  surely  glacial,  show  that  in  the  earlier  days  of  the 
ice-age  they  were  all  overswept,  this  glacier  having 
flowed  at  a  height  of  from  three  to  four  thousand 
feet  above  its  present  level.” 

Dali,  in  his  ”  Alaska  and  its  Resources,”  says  : 
“  Any  account  of  Alaska  would  be  incomplete  which 
did  not  include  a  mention  of  the  remarkable  hot  and 
mineral  springs  which  are  so  numerous.”  There  are 
large  ones  south  of  Sitka,  also  on  Perenosna  Bay,  on 
Amagat  Island,  and  Port  Moller.  On  Unimak  Island 
is  a  lake  of  sulphur.  Near  the  volcano  Pogrumnoi 
are  hot  marshes.  Boiling  springs  are  found  on  the 
Islands  Akhun,  Atka,  Unimak,  Adakh,  Sitignak,  and 
Kanaga.  These  latter  have  for  ages  been  used  by 
the  natives  for  cooking  food.  In  the  crater  of  Gor- 
eloi  is  a  vast  boiling,  steaming  mineral  spring  eigh¬ 
teen  miles  in  circumference.  A  lake  strongly  im¬ 
pregnated  with  nitre  is  found  on  Beaver  Island. 
The  thermal  springs  on  the  Island  of  Unalashka  hold 
sulphur  in  solution.  Noises  proceed  from  them  oc¬ 
casionally  like  the  booming  of  a  cannon.  The  natives 
have  a  tradition  that  long  ago  the  volcanoes  in  this 
neighborhood  fought  with  each  other  and  Makushin 
came  off  victor. 

The  northern  portion  of  Alaska,  within  the  Arctic 
Circle,  is  famous  for  its  beautiful  auroral  displays. 
Bancroft  describes  them  “as  flashing  out  in  pris- 


38 


NORTHERN  LIGHTS. 


matic  coruscations,  throwing  a  brilliant  arch  from 
east  to  west — now  in  variegated  oscillations,  gradu¬ 
ating  through  all  the  various  tints  of  blue  and 
green  and  violet  and  crimson,  darting,  flashing,  or 
streaming  in  yellow  columns  upward,  downward  ; 
now  blazing  steadily,  now  in  wavy  undulations, 
sometimes  up  to  the  very  zenith  ;  momentarily 
lighting  up  the  surrounding  scenery,  but  only  to 
fall  back  into  darkness.”  Whymper  speaks  of  one 
display  seen  on  the  Yukon  as  representing  a  vast 
undulating  snake  crossing  the  heavens.  The  super¬ 
stitious  natives,  that  see  in  all  phenomena  evidence 
of  the  spirits  they  fear,  consider  these  displays 
as  the  reflection  of  the  lights  used  by  the  spirits 
in  their  dances  in  their  northern  homes.  “  Singu¬ 
larly  enough,”  says  Dali,  “  they  call  the  constellation 
of  Ursa  Major  by  the  name  of  Okil-Ok’puk,  and  con¬ 
sider  him  to  be  ever  on  the  watch  while  the  other 
spirits  carry  on  their  festivities.  None  of  the  spirits 
are  regarded  as  supreme,  nor  have  the  Innuit  tribes 
any  idea  of  a  deity,  a  state  of  future  reward  and  pun¬ 
ishment,  or  any  system  of  morality.” 

Alaska  contains  not  only  one  of  the  largest  rivers 
of  the  United  States,  but  also  of  the  world. 

The  river  Yukon  is  70  miles  wide  across  its  five 
mouths  and  intervening  deltas.  At  some  points 
along  its  lower  course  one  bank  cannot  be  seen  from 
the  other.  For  the  first  thousand  miles  it  is  from  one 
to  five  miles  wide,  and  in  some  places,  including 
islands,  it  is  twenty  miles  from  main  bank  to  main 
bank.  Navigable  for  1500  miles,  it  is  computed  to 
be  gopo  miles  long.  Upon  its  upper  waters,  within 


AURORA  BOREALIS. 


RIVERS — FUR. 


41 


the  Arctic  Circle,  is  Fort  Yukon,  a  post  of  the  Hud¬ 
son  Bay  Company.  At  this  far  distant  post,  where 
tidings  from  the  outside  world  only  reach  once  a  - 
year,  is  a  Scotch  missionary.  The  British  Church 
looks  well  after  its  own  people.  On  its  banks  live 
thousands  who  know  neither  its  outlet  nor  its  source, 
and  yet,  recognizing  its  greatness,  proudly  call 
themselves  the  “  Men  of  Yukon.” 

The  other  principal  rivers  of  the  Territory  are  the 
Stickeen,  250  miles  long  ;  the  Chilcat,  the  Copper, 
the  Fire,  the  Nushergak,  a  large  shallow  stream  150 
miles  long  ;  the  Kuskoquim,  next  to  the  Yukon  in 
size,  and  between  500  and  600  miles  long  ;  the  Tana- 
nah,  250  miles.  This  river  is  half  a  mile  wide  at  its 
mouth,  with  a  very  strong  current ,  the  Nowikakat, 

1 12  miles,  arid  the  Porcupine.  The  latter  three  are 
tributaries  of  the  Yukon.  The  only  river  of  any  size 
flowing  into  the  Arctic  Ocean  is  the  Colville,  for  a 
long  time  supposed  to  be  the  outlet  of  the  Yukon. 

The  chief  value  of  Alaska  to  Russia  was  its  won¬ 
derful  fur  supplies.  And  when  the  Territory  was  sold 
to  the  United  ^tates  the  most  prominent  attraction 
was  the  seal-fur  fisheries  on  the  Pribyloff  group  of 
islands  in  Bering’s  Sea.  To  protect  these  valuable 
interests  the  Government  leased  these  islands  for 
twenty  years  to  an  incorporated  company  known  as 
the  “  Alaska  Commercial  Company.”  They  pay  the 
Government  an  annual  rental  of  ^55,000  for  the  isl¬ 
ands,  and  a  royalty  of  ^262,500  a  year  on  the  100,000 
seal-skins  allowed  by  law  to  be  taken. 

Thus  these  two  little  islands — St.  Paul,  13  miles 
long  and  6  wide,  and  St.  George,  10  miles  long  and 


42 


FURS  AND  FISHERIES. 


6  wide — furnish  nearly  all  the  seal-skins  used  in  the 
markets  of  the  world,  and  have  paid  a  revenue  into 
the  United  States  Treasury  from  1871  to  1880  of  over 
two  and  one  half  million  dollars  ;  and  yet  it  is 
thought  by  some  that  Alaska  was  a  worthless  pur¬ 
chase. 

The  Alaska  Company  has  thirty-five  trading  sta¬ 
tions  in  addition  to  its  seal-fisheries. 

.The  next  most  valuable  fur  is  that  of  the  sea-otter, 
of  which  about  ^100,000  worth  are  annually  taken. 
Formerly  these  skins  were  worth  from  ^200  to  $500 
each  in  gold  ;  in  1880  they  are  quoted  at  from  ^20  to 
^200  each. 

The  principal  land  fur-bearing  animals  are  the  sev¬ 
eral  varieties  of  the  fox,  the  mink,  beaver,  marten, 
lynx,  otter,  black  bear,  and  wolverine.  There  are 
also  the  skins  of  the  whistler,  reindeer,  mountain 
goat  and  sheep,  ermine,  marmot,  muskrat,  and  wolf. 
The  fur  product  amounts  to  ^1,000,000  annually. 

Alaska  is  also  a  great  fish  region.  All  the  early 
navigators  and  explorers,  from  Cook  to  the  present 
time,  have  spoken  of  its  immense  numbers  of  salmon, 
cod,  herring,  halibut,  mullet,  ulicon,  etc.  There  are  no 
other  such  fisheries  in  the  known  world.  A  mission¬ 
ary  thus  describes  a  fishing  scene  on  the  Naass  River  : 
“  I  went  up  to  their  fishing-ground  on  the  Naass 
River,  where  some  five  thousand  Indians  had  assem¬ 
bled.  It  was  what  is  called  their  ‘  small  fishing.’ 
The  salmon  catch  is  at  another  time.  These  small 
fish  form  a  valuable  article  for  food,  and  also  for  oil. 
They  come  up^or  six  weeks  only,  and  with  great  reg¬ 
ularity.  The  Naass,  where  I  visited  it,  was  about  a 


i 


BREAKING  UP  OF  THE  ICE  ON  THE  YUKON  RIVER. 


FISHERIES. 


# 


45 


mile  and  a  half  wide,  and  the  fish  had  come  up  in 
great  quantities,  so  great  that  with  three  nails  upon 
a  stick  an  Indian  would  rake  in  a  canoe  full  in  a 
short  time.  Five  thousand  Indians  were  gathered 
together  from  British  Columbia  and  Alaska,  decked 
out  in  their  strange  and  fantastic  costumes.  Their 
faces  were  painted  red  and  black,  feathers  on  their 
heads,  and  imitations  of  wild  beasts  on  their  dresses. 
Over  the  fish  was  an  immense  cloud  of  sea-gulls — so 
many  and  so  thick  that,  as  they  hovered  about  look¬ 
ing  for  fish,  the  sight- resembled  a  heavy  fall  of  snow. 
Over  the  gulls  were  eagles  soaring  about  watching 
their  chance.  After  the  small  fish  had  come  up 
larger  fish  from  the  ocean  There  was  the  halibut, 
the  cod,  the  porpoise,  and  the  fin-back  whale.  Man 
life,  fish  life,  and  bird  life — all  under  intense  excite¬ 
ment.  And  all  that  animated  life  was  to  the  heathen 
people  a  life  of  spirits.  They  paid  court  to  and  wor¬ 
shipped  the  fish  they  were  to  assist  in  destroying, 
greeting  them,  ‘  You  fish  !  you  fish  !  You  are  all 
chiefs,  you  are.  ’ 

Cod  are  found  from  the  Seal  Islands  southward, 
but  are  most  abundant  on  the  banks  in  the  Kadiak 
and  Aleutian  archipelagoes.  Three  San  Franciso 
firms  engaged  in  the  business  caught  3000  tons 
during  1879  on  the  banks  off  the  Shumagin  Is¬ 
lands. 

% 

Alaska  can  also  supply  the  world  with  salmon,  her¬ 
ring,  and  halibut  of  the  best  quality,  Salmon  can¬ 
neries  have  been  established  near  Sitka,  at  Klawak, 
and  at  Kasa-an  Bay.  As  many  as  7000  salmon  have 
been  taken  at  one  haul  of  the  seine.  Salmon  are 


46 


TIMBER. 


frequently  caught  in  Cook’s  Inlet  weighing  6o  pounds 
each,  and  exceptional  ones  120  pounds  each. 

Alaska  is  the  great  reserve  lumber  region  of  the 
United  States,  It  is  only  a  question  of  a  few  years 
when  the  forests  of  Maine,  Michigan,  Wisconsin, 
Minnesota,  and  even  Puget  Sound,  will  be  denuded 
of  their  best  timber.  Then  the  country  will  appre¬ 
ciate  those  thousands  of  square  miles  of  yellow  cedar, 
white  spruce,  hemlock,  and  balsam  fir  that  densely 
cover  the  south-eastern  section  of  Alaska.  The  Hon. 
William  H.  Seward,  upon  returning  from  a  trip  to 
Alaska,  said,  in  a  public  address,  “  I  venture  to  pre¬ 
dict  that  the  North  Pacific  coast  will  become  a  com¬ 
mon  ship-yard  for  the  American  Continent,  and 
speedily  for  the  whole  world.  Europe,  Asia, 
Africa,  and  even  the  Atlantic  American  States  have 
either  exhausted  or  are  exhausting  their  native  sup¬ 
plies  of  timber  and  lumber.  Their  last  and  only  re¬ 
sort  must  be  to  the  North  Pacific” 

The  indications  are  that  Alaska  is  very  rich  in 
minerals.  It  should  be  remembered  that  there  has 
been  no  scientific  or  geological  survey  of  Alaska  ; 
that  the  long  Russian  occupation  sought  only  the 
development  of  the  fur  interests,  and  that  the  miner¬ 
als  which  have  been  found  in  the  country  have  not 
been  developed  sufficiently  to  determine  their  full 
economic  value. 

Ex-Mayor  Dodge,  of  Sitka,  writes:  “From  the 
earliest  history  of  the  country  to  the  present  day 
the  existence  of  gold,  silver,  copper,  iron,  marble, 
and  coal  has  been  constantly  attested.  We  have  the 
undeniable  authority  of  eminent  scientific  officials 


AN  ALASKA  FISHING  VILLAGE 


y 


m 


-I 

1 


3 


n 


n-jr 


r>. 


COAL — PETROLEU  M — COPPER — IRON. 


49 


and  the  statements  of  strangers  temporarily  visiting 
the  coast.” 

Coal  is  found  all  along  the  coast.  The  most  val¬ 
uable  of  the  known  deposits  is  found  in  Cook’s  Inlet 
It  is  of  excellent  quality  for  the  use  of  steamships 
The  quantity  seems  to  be  unlimited. 

Petroleum  is  found  floating  on  a  lake  near  the  Bay 
of  Katmai.  It  is  quite  odorless,  and  in  its  crude 
state  has  been  used  by  the  Russians  for  lubricating 
machinery.  Large  deposits  have  also  been  found  on 
Copper  River. 

Specimens  of  pure  copper  have  been  found  in  many 
places.  It  is  so  abundant  on  Copper  River  as  to 
give  the  name  to  the  stream.  At  Kasa-an  Bay  a  vaiu- 
able  mine  of  bronze  copper  is  being  worked  by  an 
English  company.  Lead  in  small  quantities  is  found 
on  Whale  Bay,  south  of  Sitka,  and  also  in  Kadiak 
Island. 

Iron  is  common  to  many  sections  of  the  Territory. 
Graphite  is  found  at  several  places.  A  fine  quality 
of  marble  exists  in  inexhaustible  quantities.  A  fine 
quality  of  bismuth  is  found  on  Vostovia  Mountain. 
Kaolin  fire-clay,  and  gypsum  are  also  found.  Sul¬ 
phur  exists  in  large  quantities.  Amethysts,  zeolites, 
garnets,  agates,  carnelians,  and  fossil  ivory  are  found. 
Indeed,  the  people  of  the  United  States  have  no  con¬ 
ception  of  the  mineral  wealth  of  Alaska. 

Gold  is  found  in  a  number  of  places,  and  supposed 
to  exist  in  many  others.  But  little  prospecting  has 
been  done  on  account  of  the  hostility  of  the  natives. 
Up  the  Stickeen  River  through  Alaska,  over  on  the 
head  waters  of  Deese  River,  are  the  Cas^iar  mines  of 


50 


GOLD. 


British  Columbia,  where  from  2500  to  3000  miners 
have  spent  several  summers  in  placer  mining  with 
profit.  The  annual  product  of  these  mines  is  from 
^800,000  to  $1,000,000.  As  the  precious  metals 
abound  the  whole  length  of  the  mountain  chain  in 
South  and  Central  America,  Mexico,  Arizona,  Colo¬ 
rado,  Utah,  Nevada,  Montana,  British  America,  and 
Cassiar  (on  the  edge  of  Alaska),  the  presumption  is 
that  the  precious  deposits  continue  through  Alaska. 

Captain  J.  W.  White,  United  States  Revenue  Ma¬ 
rine,  in  his  report  to  the  Department,  says  : 

“  With  regard  to  the  resources  of  that  portion  ot 
Alaska  which  we  have  visited,  I  would  mention  the 
recent  discovery  of  gold  on  the  several  streams  of  the 
main  land,  between  the  parallels  of  57°  10'  and  58^, 
emptying  into  Stephen’s  Passage,  some  thirty  or 
forty  white  men  and  as  many  Indians  being  now  en¬ 
gaged  in  mining  there,  making  $5  to  $10  a  day.  I 
saw  at  Sitka  very  rich  specimens  of  gold-bearing 
quartz  and  silver  ore  which  had  been  obtained  from 
lodes  on  Baranoff  (Sitka)  Island.” 

The  mines  referred  to  on  Stephen’s  Passage  are 
called  Shuck,  and  are  about  75  miles  north  of  Fort 
Wrangell.  The  only  quartz  mining  at  present  is  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Sitka. 

The  Alaska  Appeal  of  March  6th,  1879,  gives  the 
following  review  of  the  mines  ; 

”  From  Sitka  to  the  head  of  Silver  Bay  is  ten  miles 
over  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water  deep  enough  for  ves¬ 
sels  of  any  tonnage,  which  can  lie  at  anchor  twenty- 
five  feet  from  the  shore.  From  this  point  of  the 
shore  to  the  first  mine,  known  as  the  Haley  and  Mile- 


GOLD  MINES  AT  SITKA. 


51 


tich  mine,  is  less  than  one  mile.  The  shaft  on  this 
ledge  is  down  forty-five  feet.  The  ledge  is  eight  and 
one  half  feet  wide,  with  two  well-defined  walls  in 
slate  formation,  and  the  rock  at  that  depth  resem¬ 
bling  that  in  the  Stewart  tunnel.  .  Said  tunnel  is  one 
quarter  of  a  mile  north-east,  and  crosses  the  same 
gulch  on  which  the  Haley  and  Miletich  is  situated, 
both  running  east  and  west  and  parallel  with  each 
other.  The  tunnel  is  in  on  the  ledge  io8  feet,  and  the 
shaft  downward  eighty-five  feet  from  the  surface  in  a 
ledge  fourteen  and  one  half  feet  wide.  When  first 
worked  the  ledge  was  only  one  foot  in  width,  and 
kept  widening  as  we  penetrated  the  hill  until  it  got 
so  wide  that  we  cut  on  one  side  of  the  vein,  with  a 
five  and  one  half  foot  drift  through  the  body  of  ore, 
the  walls  being  also  of  slate  formation.  We  ran  a 
side-drift  through  the  ore  body,  and  struck  the  wall 
at  some  distance  back  from  where  the  tunnel  ends  at 
present.  The  croppings  of  this  ledge  are  visible  for 
one  mile,  where  they  disappear  in  a  dip. 

“  Next  comes  the  Wicked  Fall  mine,  the  croppings 
of  which  are  four  and  one  half  feet  wide.  A  dark 
blue  plumbago  ore  appears  a  some  distance  below  the 
croppings. 

Next  is  the  lode  known  as  the  Ha*ey  and  Francis 
lode,  not  much  improved,  but  prospects  very  well  in 
gold  and  galena.  It  runs  irregularly  with  reference 
to  the  other  lodes,  and  is  rich  in  free  gold. 

“  The  next  is  the  Bald  Mountain  lode,  having  the 
same  east  and  west  course,  and  prospects  very  well 
in  gold  and  galena,  and  has,  like  the  last-mentioned 
mine,  a  slate  formation. 


5^ 


GOLD  I^INES  AT  SITKA. 


“  Next  is  the  Lake  Mountain  lode,  which  prospects 
well  in  free  gold.  Much  of  it  is  black  sulphurets, 
and  the  ledge  runs  in  a  slate  formation. 

“  Next  is  the  Witch  Mine,  very  rich  in  gold.  The 
ledge  is  broken  up  and  decomposed.  The  range  is 
east  and  west.  The  ledge  runs  in  a  slate  formation, 
and  is  from  six  to  seven  feet  wide.  There  is  an 
abundance  of  rotten  granite  in  the  vicinity  of  the  lode. 

Next  is  the  Last  Chance  mine,  a  very  extensive 
ledge  of  ribbon  quartz — such  as  is  well  known  to  Cal¬ 
ifornia  miners — in  a  slate  formation  and  plenty  of 
black  sulphurets. 

“  There  is  a  mill  just  finished  and  ready  for  work 
on  the  Stewart  mine,  the  only  mine  prospected  to 
any  great  depth. 

There  is  a  superabundance  of  wood  and  water  on 
all  these  claims  for  all  mining  and  mechanical  pur¬ 
poses. 

“  The  maker  of  this  report  has  lived  in  Sitka  and 
worked  on  those  mines  for  the  last  six  years.  The 
weather  in  the  locality  of  those  mines  is  very  mild, 
no  snow  having  fallen  up  to  the  time  the  writer  left 
there,  on  the  15th  of  December  last.  Carrots,  tur¬ 
nips,  cabbages,  etc.,  were  at  perfect  maturity  at  that 
date,  and  not  one  frozen  in  the  ground.” 

In  a  country  as  extended  as  Alaska,  with  its  large 
rolling  plains,  wide  valleys,  and  high  mountains, 
there  is  necessarily  a  wide  diversity  of  climate.  In  a 
general  way  it  may  be  said  that  inland  Alaska  has  an 
arctic  winter  and  a  tropical  summer.  At  Fort  Yukon 
the  thermometer  often  goes  above  loo^’  in  summer, 
and  from  50^  to  70^  below  zero  in  winter. 


CLIMATE. 


53 


At  Nulato  on  the  Yukon  River  the  fall  of  snow  dur¬ 
ing  the  winter  averages  8  feet,  and  frequently  reaches 
12  feet. 

Along  the  immense  southern  coast  and  islands  the 
climate  is  moist  and  warm. 

The  greatest  cold  recorded  on  the  Island  of  Una- 
lashka,  by  a  Greek  priest^  during  a  period  of  five  years, 
was  zero  of  Fahrenheit  ;  extremest  heat  for  the  same 
time  was  77*^,  The  average  for  five  years  at  7  a,]\i, 
was  37^,  I  p,M,,  40'^,  and  9  p,m,,  36^,  The  average 
of  weather  for  seven  years  was  53  all  clear  days,  1263 
half  clear,  and  1235  all  cloudy.  It  is  very  much  the 
climate  of  north-western  Scotland, 

At  St,  Paul  Harbor,  Kadiak  Island,  the  mean  an¬ 
nual  summer  temperature  is  54°  and  winter  29*^, 
The  coldest  month,  February,  with  the  thermometer 
at  27*^,  and  the  warmest,  July  and  August,  with  a  mean 
temperature  of  57^,  the  extremes  being  from  6°  to 
75°,  The  climate  is  that  of  southern  Sweden  and 
Norway,  The  annual  rainfall  is  about  73  inches. 

At  Sitka,  where,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  short 
gaps,  a  record  of  the  thermometer  has  been  kept 
for  45  years,  it  has  been  found  that  the  mean  spring 
temperature  has  been  41^  2',  summer  54^  6',  autumn 
44^^  9',  winter  32°  5',  and  for  the  entire  year  43*^  3'  F, 
The  greatest  degree  of  heat  recorded  in  these  45 
years  was  87^  8',  and  of  cold  4^^  below  zero.  The 
thermometer  has  recorded  below  zero  during  only 
four  of  the  45  years,  and  above  80°  during  only 
seven  of  those  years.  The  mean  annual  temperature 
for  45  years  has  ranged  from  41 3'  to  46°  8',  a  dif¬ 
ference  of  but  5°  5',  The  annual  rainfall  8i  inches. 


54 


MILD  CLIMATE. 


During  a  period  of  43  years,  there  has  been  an 
average  of  200  rainy  or  snowy  days  per  year.  The 
most  favorable  year  was -1833,  with  82  rainy  and  32 
snowy  days,  and  the  most  unfavorable  1856,  with  258 
rainy  and  27  snowy  days. 

During  the  winter  of  1877  and  1878  the  coldest 
night  at  Sitka  only  formed  ice  the  thickness  of  a 
knife-blade  on  a  barrel  of  rain-water  under  the  eave^ 
of  cl  house. 

At  Fort  Wrangell,  owing  to  distance  from  the 
ocean  and  nearness  to  snow-covered  mountains,  the 
climate  is  colder  than  at  Sitka.  The  mean  tempera¬ 
tures  are,  for  spring  40°  4',  for  summer  57*^  i',  autumn 
43*^,  winter  28*^  3',  and  for  the  year  42°  2  .  The  annual 
rainfall  about  65  inches.  From  these  observations 
taken  from  the  “  Alaska  Coast  Pilot,”  Appendix  i, 
Meteorology,  a.d.  1880,  the  surprising  fact  is  brought 
to  light  that  the  winter  climate  of  Southern  Alaska 
for  45  years  past  has  been  the  winter  climate  of  the 
State  of  Kentucky  and  West  Virginia. 

This  mild  climate  of  Southern  Alaska  is  due  to 
the  Japan  Gulf  Stream,  the  Kuro-Siwo,  which  first 
strikes  the  North  American  Continent  at  the  Queen 
Charlotte  Islands,  in  latitude  50°  north.  Here  the 
stream  divides,  one  portion  going  northward  and 
westward  along  the  coast  of  Alaska,  and  the  other 
southward  along  the  coast  of  British  Columbia, 
Washington  Territory,  Oregon,  and  California,  giv' 
ing  them  their  mild  winter  climate. 

The  former  stream  flowing  northward  has  been 
named  ”  the  Alaska  Current,”  and  gives  the  great 


HUNTING  WALRUS, 


TRADE  WINDS. 


57 


southern  coast  of  Alaska  a  winter  climate  as  mild 
as  that  of  one  third  of  the  United  States. 

Mr.  Joseph  Cook,  in  his  celebrated  Boston  “  Mon¬ 
day  Lectures,”  thus  refers  to  it  : 

”  You  will  pardon  me  if  I  call  attention  to  the 
reasons  why  Alaska  is  so  warm.  Everybody  under¬ 
stands  that  the  con¬ 
tinents  are  tally-ho 
coaches  driving  toward 
the  sunrise,  and  that 
the  wind  blows  in  the 
faces  of  those  who  sit 
on  the  front  seats  of 
coaches.  The  wind 
that  bore  Columbus 
across  the  Atlantic  and 
Magellan  across  the 
Pacific  blows  in  the 
faces  of  the  tally-ho 
coaches  of  the  conti¬ 
nents,  driving  out  of 
the  sunset  into  the 
sunrise.  As  the  trade 
winds  in  the  tropics 
blow  from  east  to 
west,  at  a  speed  often 
reaching  fifteen  or  eighteen  miles  an  hour,  they 
produce  a  current  in  the  ocean  moving  in  the  same 
direction  across  the  tropical  zone.  When  that  cur¬ 
rent  strikes  the  east  side  of  a  continent  it  divides, 
and  part  goes  north  and  part  goes  south.  As 
the  portion  moving  toward  the  pole  flows  away 


58 


GULF  STREAM  OF  THE  PACIFIC. 


from  the  tropics,  it  of  course  reaches  a  part  of  the 
earth  moving  with  less  rapidity  than  that  from  which 
it  came.  Everybody  sees  that  the  equator  must  re¬ 
volve  with  far  greater  rapidity  than  the  arctic  circle, 
simply  because  it  is  larger  and  must  turn  around  in 
the  same  time.  The  motion  of  the  earth  decreases 
from  the  equator  to  the  pole.  As  the  warm  current 
passes  from  the  equator  to  the  North  Sea  in  our  At¬ 
lantic  basin,  it  is  constantly  transferring  itself  to 
parallels  that  move  less  rapidly  than  those  which  it 
left  at  its  last  place  of  departure.  The  water  does 
not  at  once  lose  the  speed  of  eastern  motion  it  had. 
nearer  the  equator,  and  so  slips  eastward  faster  than 
the  northern  water  it  meets.  Thus  arises  a  transla¬ 
tion  of  a  great  body  of  water  toward  the  sunrise.  In 
this  way  originates  the  gulf  current,  the  cause  of 
which  was  a  mystery  for  ages.  So  in  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  under  the  sweep  of  the  trade  winds  and  the 
influence  of  the  difference  of  temperature  between 
the  torrid  and  the  northern  waters,  there  is  produced 
an  enormous  equatorial  current  moving  from  east  to 
west.  On  reaching  the  Asiatic  coast  and  islands,  a 
part  of  this  vast  stream  goes  north  and  a  part  south. 
The  portion  which  goes  north  is  of  course  always 
dropping  into  latitudes  where  the  motion  of  the  earth 
is  less  rapid,  and  therefore  there  is  a  translation  of 
the  waters  toward  America.  Thus  springs  up  a 
gulf  current  in  the  Pacific.  (Guyot,  ‘  Physical 
Geography,’  p.  65.)  It  pours  out  of  the  East  Indies 
as  ours  does  out  of  the  West  Indies.  It  laves  the 
coast  of  China  and  Japan,  as  ours  does  that  of 
America.  It  is  called  the  Japan  Current,  or  Black 


SNOW 

KNIFE. 


SEAL-SKIN  INNUIT 

CANOE.  ARROWS. 


INNUIT  KNIFE 
AND  SAW. 


6o 


HOW  TO  REACH  ALASKA. 


water,  and  farther  on  has  the  name  of  the  North  Pa¬ 
cific  Current.  It  divides  at  the  westernmost  end  of 
.  the  Aleutian  Islands.  A  part  of  it  runs  through  Be¬ 
ring  Straits.  That  is  the  reason  why  the  ice  never 
drifts  through  those  straits  into  the  Pacific,  and  why 
the  transit  of  steamers  between  China  and  the  United 
States  is  likely  to  be  free  from  icebergs.  The  larger 
part  of  the  current  goes  south  of  the  Aleutian  archi¬ 
pelago  and  strikes  our  continent  first  on  the  coast  of 
Alaska.  As  the  Gulf  Current  warms  England,  so 
does  the  North  Pacific  Current  warm  Alaska  and 
Oregon.  But  the  Atlantic  is  more  open  to  the  Arc¬ 
tic  Sea  than  the  Pacific  is,  and  so  the  latter  current 
is  less  cooled  by  cold  water  from  the  north  than  the 
former.” 

With  regard  to  Alaska,  Mr.  William  H.  Dali,  of 
the  Smithsonian  Institution,  writes  after  a  trip  to 
Europe  :  “I  come  back  convinced,  from  personal  in¬ 
spection,  that  Alaska  is  a  far  better  country  than 
much  of  Great  Britain  and  Norway,  or  even  part  of 
Prussia.” 

The  routes  of  travel  to  Alaska  are  not  very  numer¬ 
ous.  A  steamer  carrying  the  United  States  mail  be¬ 
tween  Port  Townsend,  Washington  Territory,  and 
Fort  Wrangell,  and  Sitka,  Alaska,  makes  a  monthly 
trip. 

Two  small  steamers  run  at  irregular  intervals  dur¬ 
ing  the  summer  from  Victoria,  B.  C.,  to  Fort  Wran¬ 
gell,  calling  en  7‘oute  at  the  several  trading-posts  on 
the  coast  of  British  Columbia. 

The  country  west  of  Sitka,  including  the  Aleutian 
Islands  and  the  great  interior  and  main  section  of  the 


ROUTES  OF  TRAVEL. 


6i 


Territory,  is  reached  from  San  Francisco.  So  that  a 
citizen  of  Oregon,  in  order  to  reach  Kadiak,  Una- 
lashka,  the  Seal  Islands,  St.  Michael,  or  the  numerous 
villages  on  the  Yukon  River,  is  under  the  necessity  of 
going  by  the  way  of  San  Francisco.  From  this  lat¬ 
ter  place  there  is  frequent  communication  with  West¬ 
ern  Alaska,  and  once  a  year  with  the  central  and 
northern  sections. 


ESKIMO  HEAD. 


CHAPTER  II. 


Population — Customs — Houses — Dances —  Feasts  —  Cremation- 

Religious  Beliefs — Shamanism. 

“  And  they  painted  on  the  grave-posts 
Of  the  graves,  yet  unforgotten,  « 

Each  his  own  ancestral  totem. 

Each  the  symbol  of  his  household — 

Figures  of  the  bear  and  reindeer, 

Of  the  turtle,  crane,  or  beaver.” 

Major-General  Halleck,  in  his  official  report  to 
the  Secretary  of  War  in  1869,  gives  the  following 
statistics  of  the  population  of  our  lately-acquired 
Territory  : 

“  Most  writers  make  four  general  divisions  of  the 
natives  of  Alaska  :  ist,  the  Koloshians  ;  2d,  the  Ke- 
naians  ;  3d,  the  Aleuts  ;  4th,  the  Eskimo.  These 

are  again  subdivided  into  numerous  tribes  and  fam¬ 
ilies,  which  have  been  named  sometimes  from  their 
places  of  residence  or  resort,  and  sometimes  from 
other  circumstances  or  incidents. 

“  I.  The  Koloshians. — This  name  is  given  by  the 
Russians  to  all  the  natives  who  inhabit  the  islands  and 
coast  from  the  latitude  5*4°  40'  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Atna  or  Copper  River.  The  Indians  of  the  northern 
islands  and  northern  coast  of  British  Columbia  be- 


KEY  LOW-TIK  OR  RASE  DRUM  DANCE. 


HYDAS  AND  TONGAS  PEOPLE 


65 


long  to  the  same  stock,  and  their  entire  population 
was  estimated  by  the  early  explorers  at  25,000.  The 
Koloshians  in  Alaska  at  the  present  time  have  been 
subdivided  and  classed  as  follows  ; 

“  The  Hydas,  who  inhabit  the  southern  part  of  Alex¬ 
andria  Archipelago.  They  have  usually  been  hostile 
to  the  whites,  and  a  few  years  ago  captured  a  trad¬ 
ing  vessel  and  murdered  the  crew.  They  number 
about  600.  These  Indians  are  also  called  Kaigani 


and  Kliavakans  ;  the  former  being  near  Kaigan  Har¬ 
bor,  and  the  latter  near  the  Gulf  of  Kliavakan. 

“  In  the  same  archipelago  are  the  Hennegas,  who 
live  near  Cape  Pole,  and  the  Chatsinas,  who  occupy 
the  northern  portion  of  the  principal  island.  They 
are  said  to  be  peaceful,  and  to  number  about  500 
each,  in  all  about  1000. 

“The  Tongas,  who  live  on  Tongas  Island  and  on 
the  north  side  of  Dixon  Inlet.  A  branch  of  this 
tribe,  called  the  Foxes,  now  under  a  separate  chief. 


66 


THE  THLINKETS. 


live  near  Cape  Fox.  The  two  branches  together 
number  about  500. 

“  The  Stickeens,  who  live  on  the  Stickeen  River  and 
the  islands  near  its  mouth.  Although  represented 
as  at  the  present  time  peaceable,  a  few  years  ago 
they  captured  a  trading  vessel  and  murdered  the 
crew.  They  number  about  1000. 

“  The  Kakus,  or  Kakes,  who  live  on  Kupreanoff 
Island,  having  their  principal  settlement  near  the 
north-western  side-.  These  Indians  have  long  been 
hostile  to  the  whites,  making  distant  warlike  incur¬ 
sions  in  their  canoes.  They  have  several  times  vis¬ 
ited  Puget  Sound,  and  in  1857  murdered  the  col¬ 
lector  of  customs  at  Port  Townsend.  They  number 
altogether  about  1200. 

“  The  Kuius,  who  have  several  villages  on  the  bays 
and  inlets  of  Kuiu  Island,  between  Cape  Division  and 
Prince  Frederick’s  Sound.  They  number  in  all 
abcTut  800. 

“The  Kootznoos  or  Kooshnoos,  who  live  near 
Kootznoo  Head,  at  the  mouth  of  Hood’s  Bay,  Ad¬ 
miralty  Island.  They  number  about  800. 

“  The  Awks,  who  live  along  Douglas’  Channel  and 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Tahko  River.  They  have  a 
bad  reputation,  and  number  about  800. 

“The  Sundowns  and  Tahkos,  who  live  on  the 
main  land  from  Port  Houghton  to  the  Tahko  River. 
They  number  about  500. 

“  The  Chilcatds  or  Chilkahts,  living  on  Lynn  Chan- 
nel  and  the  Chilkaht  River.  They  are  warlike,  and 
have  heretofore  been  hostile  to  all  whites,  but  at 


ESKIMO  SNOW-HOUSE 


SITKA  AND  KENAIAN  PEOPLE.  69 

present  manifest  a  disposition  to  be  friendly.  They 
muster  about  2000. 

“  The  Hoodsuna-hoos,  who  live  near  the  head  of 
Chatham  Straits.  There  are  also  small  settlements 
of  them  near  Port  Frederick,  and  at  some  other 
points.  They  number  about  1000. 

“  The  Hunnas  or  Hooniaks,  who  are  scattered 
along  the  main  land  from  Lynn  Canal  to  Cape  Spen¬ 
cer.  Their  number  is  about  1000. 


“  The  Sitkas,  or  Indians  on  Baranoff  Island,  who 
were  at  first  opposed  to  the  change  of  flags,  but  have 
since  become  friendly.  These  are  estimated  by  Gen¬ 
eral  Davis  at  about  1200. 

‘  ‘  If  we  add  to  these  the  scattering  families  and  tribes 
on  the  islands  not  above  enumerated,  and  the  Ky- 
acks,  who  live  south  of  Copper  River,  we  shall  have 
from  12,000  to  15,000  as  the  whole  number  of  Kolo- 
shians  in  the  Territory. 

“  2.  The  Kenaia7is. — This  name,  derived  from  the 
peninsula  of  Kenai,  which  lies  between  Cook’s  Inlet 


70 


THE  ALEUTS 


and  Prince  William’s  Sound,  has  been  applied  to  all 
the  Indians  who  occupy  the  country  north  of  Copper 
River  and  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  except  the 
Aleutes  and  Esquimaux.  The  employes  of  the  tele¬ 
graph  company 
represent  them 
as  peaceful  and 
well  disposed. 
They,  however, 
are  ready  to 
avenge  any  af¬ 
front  or  wrong. 
I  have  not  suffi¬ 
cient  data  to  give 
the  names,  loca¬ 
tions,  or  numbers 
of  the  several 
tribes  of  these 
people.  Their 
whole  number  is 
usually  estimated 
at  25,000. 

“3.  TJie  Aleuts. 
— This  term  more 
properly  belongs 
to  the  natives  of 
the  Aleutian  Is¬ 
lands,  but  it  has 
been  applied  also  to  those  of  the  Shumagin  and 
Kadiak  groups,  and  to  the  southern  Eskimo, 
whom  they  greatly  resemble.  They  are  generally 
kind  and  well  disposed,  and  not  entirely  wanting 


ESKIMO  HUNTER,  ALASKA. 


The  ESKIMOS. 


in  industry.  By  the  introduction  of  schools  and 
churches  among  these  people  the  Russians  have  done 
much  toward  reducing  them  to  a  state  of  civilization. 
As  might  be  expected  from  the  indefinite  character 
of  the  lines  separating 
them  from  the  Eskimos, 
the  estimates  of  their  num¬ 
bers  are  conflicting,  vary¬ 
ing  from  4000  to  10,000. 

Probably  the  lowest  num¬ 
ber  would  comprise  all  the 
inhabitants  of  the  Aleutian 
Islands  Proper,  while  if  we 
include  the  other  groups 
and  the  Peninsula  of 
Alaska,  and  the  country 
bordering  on  Bristol  Bay, 
the  whole  number  may 
reach  as  high  as  10,000. 

“4.  The  Eskbnos. — These 
people,  who  constitute 
the  remainder  of  the  pop¬ 
ulation  of  Alaska,  inhab¬ 
it  the  coasts  of  Bering’s 
Sea  and  of  the  Arctic 
Ocean,  and  the  interior 
country  north,  and  includ¬ 
ing  the  northern  branches 
of  the  Yukon  River.  The  Kenaians  are  said  to  hold 
the  country  along  the  more  southerly  branches  of 
that  river.  The  character  of  the  Alaskian  Eskimo 
does  not  essentially  differ  from  that  of  the  same  race 


ESKIMO  WOMAN,  ALASKA. 


72 


ball's  estimate  of  population. 


in  other  parts  of  the  world.  They  are  low  in  the 
scale  of  humanity,  and  number  about  20,000.  These 
estimates  make  the  entire  Indian  population  of 
Alaska  about  60,000.” 

William  H.  Dali,  in  ”  North  American  Ethnology,” 
Vol.  i.,  gives  the  following  enumeration  : 


TINNER. 

(western.) 

Kai3Tihkhotana . 

Koyukukhotana . . . 

Unakotana . 


(kutchin.) 

Tenan-kutchin . 

Tenniith-kutchin,  extinct. 
Tatsah-kutchin,  extinct. 

Kiitcha  kutchin . 

Natsit-kutchin . 

Vunta-klitchin. 

Tukkuth- kutchin. 

Han  kutchin. 

Tutchone- kutchin. 
Tehanin-kutchin . 


(eastern.) 

Abbato-tena. 

Mauvais  Monde  (Nehaunees). 
Acheto-tinneh. 

Daho-tena. 

Tdhko-tinneh. 

“  Chilkaht-tena.” 

Ah-tena . 


BONE 

COMB. 


T’LINKETS. 

(yakutats.) 


“  Yakutats” 


(kwan.) 


2,000 

SCO 

300 


400 


250 

150 


1,000 


1,500 


250 


V 


ChilkSht-kwan 
Sitka-kwan . . . 
Siakiiin  kwcln.. 


1,300 

2,200 

1,500 


COLYER’S  estimate  of  the  people.  73 


KygahnL .  . . 

(kygahni.) 

Nasse  Indians. 
Chimsyans. 

(nasses.) 

Alaska  Indians . 

Alaska  Orarians  (Coast  Indians) . 

.  14,054 

Total  native  population . 

Add  Russians . 

“  Half-breeds  or  Creoles . 

“  Citizens . 

.  25,704 

50 

.  1,500 

27,404 

The  reader  will  notice  the  wide  discrepancy  be¬ 
tween/  the  foregoing  estimates.  No  census  of  the 
country  has  ever  been  taken,  and  so  large  a  portion 
is  still  unexplored  that  it  would  be  practically  im¬ 
possible  to  secure  a  census.  The  Russian  officials 
claimed  at  the  time  of  the  transfer  a  population  of 
about  66,000. 

The  Hon.  Vincent  Colyer,  Special  Indian  Com¬ 
missioner  to  Alaska,  in  closing  his  report,  says  : 
“I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  if  three  fourths  of 
them  (Alaska  Indians)  were  landed  in  New  York  as 
coming  from  Europe,  they  would  be  selected  as 
among  the  most  intelligent  of  the  many  worthy  emi¬ 
grants  who  daily  arrive  at  that  port.” 

Ivan  Petroff,  Esq.,  editor  and  proprietor  of  the 
Alaska  Appeal^  gives  the  following  enumeration  of 
the  Aleutian  Islands  for  1879  : 

Unalashka,  304  Russians,  Creoles,  and  Aleuts,  and  5 
white  men,  in  four  villages  ;  Akutan,  140  Aleuts  and 
Creoles  ;  Atka,  207  Aleuts  and  Creoles,  i  white 


74 


PRINCIPAL  SETTLEMENTS. 


man  ;  Umnak,  117  Aleuts  and  Creoles.  From  At- 
ka  to  Attu,  600  miles,  10  to  15  islands,  with  170 
Aleuts.  Shumagin  Islands — Unga,  160  Aleuts,  69 
Creoles,  and  13  white  men  ;  Belkovsky,  193  Creoles, 
80  Aleuts,  and  2  white  men  ;  Nikolaievsk,  31  Aleuts  ; 
Protasof,  53  Creoles  and  67  Aleuts  ;  Cook’s  Inlet, 
620  Creoles  and  4  white  men. 

The  principal  villages  are  : 

Unalashka. — This  is  the  refitting  station  for  all  ves¬ 
sels  passing  between  the  Pacific  Ocean  and  Bering’s 
Sea.  It  is  also  the  most  important  trading  post  of 
the  Alaska  Commercial  Company.  “  The  village 
straggles  along  a  narrow  sand-spit  formed  by  -  the 
water  of  the  bay  and  a  shallow  creek,  and  begins 
with  the  substantial  wharf,  warehouses,  and  dwelling- 
houses  of  the  Commercial  Company.  The  centre  of 
the  town  is  occupied  by  the  Russian  church  and  the 
residence  of  the  Greek  priest,  the  neatest,  best  fur¬ 
nished  and  most  comfortable  house  in  the  Territory, 
and  the  eastern  end  is  composed  chiefly  of  the  half¬ 
subterranean  ‘  barabaras  ’  of  the  Aleuts  and  the 
new  houses  of  the  rival  trading  firm.  The  best 
hunters  have  been  furnished  by  the  company  with 
comfortable  cottages,  which  they  occupy  rent  free.” 

St.  Paul's  Harbor.,  on  Kadiak  Island. — -This  was  at 
one  time  the  capital  of  Russian  America  and  the 
chief  seat  of  operations.  The  island  was  discov¬ 
ered  in  1763  by  Gotloff.  In  1783  it  was  occupied  by 
Shelikoff,  who  erected  the  first  trading  post.  The 
settlement  at  St.  Paul’s  Harbor  was  made  in  1792. 
In  1794  eleven  monks  arrived  to  establish  missions, 
and  in  1796  the  first  Russo-Greek  church  was 


HUNTING  MUSK-OX. 


SITKA — FORT  WRANGELL. 


77 


erected.  Joasaph,  Elder  of  the  Augustin  Friars,  was 
made  bishop.  In  1799  it  was  made  head-quarters  of 
the  Russian-American  Fur  Company  and  capital  of 
Alaska.  Schools  and  a  hospital  were  also  estab¬ 
lished.  Its  prosperity  waned  with  the  transfer  of  the 
capital  to  Sitka. 

Sitka. — This  village  is  described  in  chapter  7. 

Fort  Wra7igell. — This  village  of  one  hundred 
houses  is  on  the  northwestern  coast  of  Wrangell 
Island,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Stickeen  river.  Owing 
to  the  extensive  gold  mines  at  Cassair,  on  the 
Stickeen  river,  it  has 
become  the  chief  busi¬ 
ness  centre  of  Alaska. 

The  trade  of  the  mines 
Wrangell  is  at  the  end 
of  ocean  and  com- 
m.encement  of  river 
navigation.  An  ocean 
steamer  runs  between 
Portland  and  Wrangell 
and  two  between  Victoria  and  Wrangell,  and  two 
small  river  steamers  run  on  the  Stickeen  river  be¬ 
tween  Wrangell  and  the  Mines.  The  coast  of  Wran¬ 
gell  and  the  mouth  of  Stickeen  river  was  first  visited 
by  the  American  ship  Atahualpa  of  Boston,  in  1802, 
three  years  before  Lewis  and  Clark  descended  the 
Columbia.  The  permanent  population  is  about  one 
hundred  whites  and  Russians,  and  five  hundred  In¬ 
dians.  Besides  these  there  is  a  large  winter  popu¬ 
lation  of  miners,  and  a  floating  Indian  population  of 
from  500  to  700  more,  there  sometimes  being  from 


HORNS  OF  MUSK-OX. 


78 


CHIEFS — TOTEMIC  ORDERS. 


2000  to  3000  Indians  in  the  place.  It  is  on  the  great' 
highway  of  the  Indians  to  and  from  the  mines,  also 
to  their  hunting  and  fishing. 

Along  the  main  coast  and  upon  the  islands  of  the 
Alexander  Archipelago  are  seven  or  eight  tribes 
speaking  a  common  language  called  the  Thlinket. 
These  tribes  dwell  mainly  in  sixteen  villages. 

Like  other  Alaska  tribes,  they  have  several  chiefs, 
one  of  whom  is  head  chief.  Upon  all  public  occa¬ 
sions  they  are  seated  according  to  their  rank.  This 
rank  is  distinguished  by  the  height  of  a  pole  erected 
in  front  of  their  houses.  The  greater  the  chief  the 
higher  his  pole.  Some  of  these  poles  are  over  100 
feet  high.  Mr.  Duncan,  the  missionary,  relates  that 
upon  one  occasion  a  chief  of  the  Naass  River  Indians  * 
put  up  a  pole  higher  than  his  rank  would  allow. 
The  friends  of  the  head  chief  made  fight  with  guns, 
and  the  over-ambitious  one  was  shot  in  the  arm, 
which  led  him  quickly  to  shorten  his  pole. 

The  Indians  are  again  subdivided  into  various  fam¬ 
ilies,  each  of  which  have  their  family  badge.  These 
badges,  or  totems  among  the  Thlinkets  are  the  raven 
(yehl),  the  wolf  (kahanukh),  the  whale  (koostan-ine), 
and  the  eagle  (chethT).  Their  emblems  are  marked 
on  the  houses,  canoes,  household  utensils,  ornaments, 
and  even  clothing  of  the  people.  These  crests  or 
badges  extend  through  different  tribes,  and  their 
members  have  a  closer  relation  to  one  another  than 
the  tribal  connection.  For  instance,  members  of  the 
same  tribe  may  marry,  but  not  members  of  the  same 
badge.  Thus  a  wolf  may  not  marry  into  the  wolf 
family,  but  may  into  th^t  of  the  whale, 


TOTEM  POLES,  FORT  WRANGELL 


TOTEMS. 


8l 


In  front  of  their  leading  houses  and  at  their  burial- 
places  are  sometimes  immense  timbers  covered  with 
carvings.  Those  who  attended  the  Centennial  Exhi¬ 
bition  will  remember  such  posts. 

These  are  the  genealogical  records  of  the  family. 
The  child  usually  takes  the  totem  of  the  mother.  For 
instance,  at  the  bottom  of  a  post  may  be  the  carving 
of  a  whale,  over  that  a  raven,  a  wolf,  and  an  eagle — 


STATUE  OF  THE  CARVED  BEAR.  FORT  WRANGELL. 

chief’s  son. 


signifying  that  the  great-grandfather  of  the  present 
occupant  of  the  house  on  his  mother’s  side  belonged 
to  the  whale  family,  the  grandfather  to  the  raven 
family,  the  father  to  the  wolf  family,  and  he  himself 
to  the  eagle  family.  These  standards  are  from  two 
to  five  feet  in  diameter,  and  often  over  6o  feet  in 
height,  and  sometimes  cost  from  $1000  to  ^2000,  in¬ 
cluding  the  gifts  and  entertainments  that  attend  their 
dedication.  Formerly  the  entrance  to  the  house  was 


82 


HOUSES — CANOES. 


a  hole  through  this  standard,  but  latterly  they  are 
commencing  to  have  regular  doors  hung  on  hinges. 
Among  the  Stickeens  these  badge  trees  or  tote7ns 
are  usually  removed  to  one  side  of  the  door. 

Their  houses  are  generally  built  along  the  beach  at 
the  edge  of  high  tide.  They  are  from  25  to  40  feet 
square,  without  a  window,  the  only  openings  being 
a  small  door  for  entrance  and  a  hole  in  the  roof  for 
the  escape  of  the*  smoke.  The  door  is  three  or  four 
feet  ab  ve  the  ground  level,  and  opens  inside  upon  a 
broad  platform,  which  extends  around  the  four  sides. 
This  platform  contains  their  rolls  of  blankets,  bed¬ 
ding,  and  other  stores.  Some  of  the  houses  have  a 
second  platform  inside  the  first,  and  a  few  steps  lower. 
Then  a  few  more  steps  down  is  the  inside  square  on 
the  ground  floor,  which  is  also  planked,  with  the  ex¬ 
ception  of  about  four  feet  square  in  the  centre,  where 
the  fire  is  built  on  the  ground.  Some  few  have  a 
small  inside  room,  looking  as  if  it  were  a  portion  of 
the  cabin  of  a  vessel.  The  walls,  and  frequently 
roofs,  are  made  of  cedar  plank,  from  two  to  five  feet 
wide,  and-  two  to  three  inches  thick.  These  planks 
are  made  by  first  splitting  the  trees  into  great 
planks,  then  smoothing  them  down  with  a  small 
adze. 

The  people  have  to  a  great  extent  adopted  an 
American  style  of  dress,  the  universal  ready-made 
clothing  store  having  already  found  its  way  to  that 
coast. 

The  beach  is  lined  with  their  large  canoes.  These 
are  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  long,  and  made  out  of 
one  solid  log  of  cedar  or  cypress.  Some  of  the 


FOOD — MANUFACTURES. 


83 


largest  are  from  sixty  to  seventy-five  feet  long  and 
eight  to  ten  feet  wide,  and  will  carry  one  hundred 
people. 

One  was  on  exhibition  at  the  Centennial  Exhibi¬ 
tion.  The  operation  of  making  them  is  thus  de¬ 
scribed  :  Having  selected  a  sound  tree  and  cut  it 
the  desired  length,  the  outside  is  first  shaped,  then 
the  tree  is  hollowed  out  till  the  shell  is  of  proper 
thickness  ;  this  is  done  with  a  tool  resembling  agrub- 
bing-hoe  or  narrow  adze  with  a  short  handle.  It  is 
then  filled  with  water,  which  is  heated  by  throwing 
in  hot  stones.  The  canoe  is  then  covered  with  a 
canvas  to  keep  the  steam  in  ;  this  softens  the  timber, 
and  the  sides  are  distended  by  cross  sticks  to  the 
desired  breadth  at  the  centre,  and  tapering  toward 
the  ends  in  lines  of  beautiful  symmetry.  It  is  fin¬ 
ished  off  with  a  highly  ornamental  figure-head,  and 
the  bulwarks  strengthened  by  a  fancy  covering 
board." 

Their  food  consists  largely  of  berries  and  fish. 
Large  quantities  of  salmon  are  smoked  and  put  away 
for  future  use.  They  also  prepare  large  quantities  of 
fish-oil. 

Some  years  ago  a  party  of  them,  having  seen  the 
cooks  on  ship  mix  flour  and  bake  it  into  bread,  got 
possession  of  a  barrel  of  lime  from  a  shipwrecked 
vessel.  A  portion  of  this  was  mixed  as  they  had  seen 
the  cook  do  it,  and  baked  and  boiled  and  boiled  and 
baked,  but  to  their  great  disgust  nothing  eatable 
came  from  it. 

Many  of  them  paint  their  faces  with  lampblack  and 
oil,  which  gives  them  a  very  repulsive  appearance. 


84 


MANUFACTURES 


They  have  a  great  variety  of  household  utensils 
made  from  the  horns  of  mountain  sheep  and  goats, 
from  ivory,  and  from  wood.  These  are  elaborately 
carved  with  their  tote77iic  or  heraldic  signs.  Indeed, 
they  excel  in  carving.  They  also  excel  in  the  manu¬ 
facture  of  baskets,  mats,  dishes,  hats,  etc.,  out  of  the 
inner  bark  of  the  cedar.  These  baskets  will  hold 


water,  and  in  the  olden  times,  before  the  introduc¬ 
tion  of  iron  kettles,  they  were  used  for  boiling.  This 
was  done,  not  by  placing  the  basket  of  water  into 
or  over  the  fire,  but  by  heating  stones  and  placing 
them  in  the  basket. 

Mr.  W.  H.  Dali,  in  his  “  Alaska  and  its  Resources,” 
gives  the  following  customs  of  the  people  : 


MARRIAGE. 


85 


**  Polygamy  is  common  among  the  rich.  Upon  ar¬ 
riving  at  a  marriageable  age  the  lower  lip  of  the  girl 
is  pierced  and  a  silver  pin  inserted,  the  flat  head  of 
the  pin  being  in  the  mouth,  and  the  pin  projecting 
through  the  lip  over  the  chin.  Many  of  them,  men 
as  well  as  women,  wear  a  silver  ring  in  the  nose  as 
well  as  the  ears. 


“A  man  wanting  a  wife  sends  a  message  to  that 
effect  to  the  girl’s  relations.  If  he  receives  a  favor¬ 
able  answer  he  sends  them  all  the  presents  he  can  pro¬ 
cure.  Upon  the  appointed  day  he  goes  to  her  father’s 
house  and  sits  down  on  the  door-step  with  his  back 
to  the  house. 


86 


LABRETS  IN  THE  LIP. 


“The  relations  who  have  assembled  then  sing  a 
marriage  song,  at  the  close  of  which  furs  and  calico 
are  laid  across  the  floor,  and  the  girl  is  escorted  over 
them  from  the  corner  where  she  has  been  sitting,  and 
takes  her  seat  by  the  side  of  the  man. 

“  The  dancing,  singing,  and  eatiiig  are  kept  up  by 
the  guests, until  they  are  tired.  In  these  festivities 
the  couple  take  no  part.  They  then  fast  for  two 
days,  and  after  a  slight  repast  fast  two  days  more 


DEER-SKIN  BOOTS. 


CARVED  ORNAMENT  TO  A 
CANOE-HEAD. 


Four  weeks  afterward  they  come  together  and  are 
recognized  as  husband  and  wife.  Perhaps  if  there 
was  more  fasting  upon  similar  occasions  among 
Americans  there  would  be  fewer  divorces.  After 
marriage  the  silver  pin  is  removed  from  the  woman’s 
lip,  and  a  spool-shaped  plug,  called  a  labret,  about 
three  quarters  of  an  inch  long,  is  substituted  in  its 
place.  As  she  grows  older,  larger  ones  are  inserted, 
so  that  an  old  woman  may  have  one  two  inches  in 
diameter.  When  a  husband  dies,  his  brother  or 


WAR. 


87 


sister’s  son  must  marry  the  widow.  A  refusal  to  do 
this  has  led  to  wars.  If  there  are  no  male  rela¬ 
tions  of  the  husband,  the  widow  can  choose  for  her¬ 
self. 

“They  consider  corporeal  punishment  as  a  great 
disgrace,  and  only  chastise  the  child  who  refuses  to 
take  its  daily  bath. 

“  Theft  is  not  considered  as  a  crime,  but  the  loser 
may  demand  restitution  if  the  thief  is  discovered. 

“  Murder  demands  blood  for  blood  ;  if  not  that  of 
the  actual  murderer,  at  least  one  of  the  tribe  or  fam¬ 
ily  to  which  he  belongs. 

“  Family  feuds  are  not  uncommon,  and  sometimes 
result  in  duels.  The  duellists  are  dressed  in  armor 
of  raw  moose  or  bear  hide,  or  thin  strips  of  wood 
laced  together.  They  wear  heavy  wooden  helmets 
painted  or  carved  with  their  toteinic  emblems.  The 
combat  is  carried  on  with  knives,  and  accompanied 
with  songs  by  the  bystanders.  At  a  conclusion  of 
peace,  either  between  two  tribes  or  two  members  of 
a  family,  hostages  are  exchanged.  These  are  obliged 
to  eat  with  their  left  hands  for  a  certain  period,  as 
they  had  carried  weapons  in  the  right  hand  during 
the  combat.  Each  hostage  has  two  companions  of 
equal  rank  assigned  to  him  by  the  tribe  which  holds 
him. 

“Their  method  of  war  is  an  ambush  or  surprise. 
The  prisoners  are  made  slaves,  and  the  dead  are 
scalped.  The  scalps  are  woven  into  a  kind  of  garter 
by  the  victor.  During  war  they  use  red  paint  on 
their  faces,  and  powder  their  hair  with  red  earth  and 
the  down  of  birds.  ^ 


88 


CARVINGS — FESTIVALS 


“  The  talent  for  carving  in  wood  and  bone  possessed 
by  the  Thlinkets  has  long  been  a  matter  of  remark. 
Before  the  introduction  of  iron  by  the  Russians  they 
were  unacquainted  with  it,  but  used  tools  of  stone  or 
native  copper.  At  present  many  of  them  have  some 
knowledge  of  working  in  iron.  They  purchase  large 
files  of  the  traders,  of  which  they  make  peculiar 
bayonet-shaped  knives.  Those  of  native  copper  were 
of  similar  form,  and  both  are  frequently  ornamented 


with  tote7nic  emblems.  They  are  fond  of  silver  and 
other  white  metals,  which  they  prefer  to  brass  or 
gold.  They  wear  ear-rings  and  other  ornaments  of 
their  own  manufacture  from  silver  half-dollars. 

“Bows  and  arrows  seem  to  have  disappeared,  as 
they  have  been  well  supplied  for  years  by  the  traders 
with  iron  spears  or  pikes  and  flint-lock  guns. 

"  “Their  festivals  consist  of  dancing,  singing,  and 
feasting.  The  dances  and  songs  are  all  emblematic, 


FUNERAL  CEREMONIES. 


89 


and  the  Thlinket  prides  himself  above  all  on  his  pro¬ 
ficiency  in  these  accomplishments.  The  songs  are 

remarkable  for  their 
rhythm.  ’  ’ 

In  their  villages,  scat¬ 
tered  between  the  houses 
and  the  higher  land  back 
of  them,  are  a  number 
of  boxes  about  five  feet 
by  two  in  size,  raised  on 
four  posts  a  few  feet 
from  the  ground.  Also 
small  frame  houses  like 
an  old-fashioned  smoke- 

INNUIT  GRAVE.  ,  s-  c  ^ 

house  four  feet  square. 
These  are  the  graves  of  the  chiefs  and  shamans  (sor¬ 
cerers).  One  of  them  at  Fort  Wrangell  was  sur¬ 
mounted  by  a  wooden  figure  of  a  whale  ten  feet  long  ; 
another  had  a  figur'e  of  an  immense  bear.  Others 


had  the  genealo¬ 
gy  of  the  dead 
painted  upon 
them. 

“The  bodies 
of  the  dead  are 
disjointed  and 
burned.  The 
funeral  ceremon¬ 
ies  of  the  wealthy 
often  last  four 
days.  Dead  slaves  are  cast  into  the  sea.  They  be¬ 
lieve  in  the  transmigration  of  souls  from  one  body 


INGALIK  GRAVE. 


90 


CREMATION. 


to  another,  but  not  to  animals.  And  the  wish  is 
often  expressed  that  in  the  next  change  they  may  be 
born  into  this  or  that  powerful  family.  Those  whose 
bodies  are  burned  are  supposed  to  be  warm  in  the 
next  world,  and  the  others  cold.  If  slaves  are  sacri¬ 
ficed  at  their  burial,  it  relieves  their  owners  from 
work  in  the  next  world. 

“  Poor  people  take  their  dead  in  a  boat  to  some 
distant  spot  and  burn  them  there.  Some  time  after 
the  death  of  a  Thlinket  the  members  of  the  family 
who  belong  to  other  totems  are  invited  to  a  feast. 


The  body  is  put  on  a 
funeral  pile  before  the  re¬ 
lations  and  burned.  The 
guests  accompany  the  cer¬ 
emony  with  dismal  cries. 
They  sometimes  burn  their 
hair  in  the  fire,  or  cut  it 
off  and  smear  themselves 
with  ashes.  Among  the 


EKOGMUT  GRAVE. 


Hydahs  they  cut  themselves  with  knives  and  stones. 
The  guests  who  are  of  the  same  totem  as  the  wife 
then  enter  the  house,  while  the  near  relatives  come 
in,  disfigured  and  leaning  on  long  staves,  and 
weep  or  sing  in  the  middle  of  the  floor.  These 
ceremonies  last  four  days,  with  short  intervals  for 
eating.  Several  slaves  were  formerly  killed,  the 
number  varying  with  the  wealth  of  the  dead  man. 
After  four  days  the  relations  wash  and  paint  their 
faces.  Presents  are  made  to  the  guests  who  have 
assisted,  and  food  is  distributed,  which  concludes 
the  ceremony.”  < 


CREMATION. 


91 


“  The  next  heir  is  the  younger  brother  or  sister’s 
son.  The  ashes  of  the  dead  are  placed  in  curiously 
painted  boxes  near  the  house.” 

One  beautiful  morning  in  1879,  Dr.  Kendall  and 
myself  went  up  the  beach  at  Fort  Wrangell  to  see 
a  vegetable  garden  recently  opened  by  Mr.  David¬ 
son.  At  its  upper  end  we  saw  a  white  sheet 
stretched  between  two  poles  and  looking  as  if  it 
might  be  intended  for  a  scare  crow.  Upon  inquiry 
we  found  that  it  contained  the  ashes  of  a  boy  who 
was  drowned  the  week  before.  His  friends  had 
promised  Rev.  Mr.  Young  that  he  should  have  a 
Christian  burial.  But  during  Saturday  night  they 
took  the  body  up  the  beach,  and  early  Sabbath  morn¬ 
ing  burned  it. 

Several  large  dry  sticks  were  laid  side  by  side  upon 
the  beach.  Upon  these  was  placed  the  body  of  the 
boy.  Other  sticks  were  piled  over  the  body  and  the 
whole  set  on  fire  amid  the  wails  and  superstitious  in¬ 
cantations  of  hired  mourners. 

In  about  an  hour  the  body  was  consumed.  After 
the  fire  had  cooled  down,  the  ashes  were  carefully 
gathered  up  and  placed  in  a  basket  until  a  suitable 
box  could  be  carved  for  their  permanent  preserva¬ 
tion.  When  all  was  ready,  an  old  Indian  woman, 
bowed  down  with  age  and  infirmities,  took  up  the 
basket  and  started  for  a  pine-tree,  which  had  pre¬ 
viously  been  selected  for  the  purpose.  She  was  fol¬ 
lowed  by  the  mourners  and  friends  with  bowed  heads 
and  loud  wails  of  sorrow.  At  the  base  of  the  tree 
two  poles,  about  eight  feet  high,  were  driven  into  the 
ground  two  feet  apart.  The  basket  containing  the 


92 


MOURNING  FOR  THE  DEAD. 


ashes  was  tied  between  these  poles,  and  a  muslin 
bag,  like  a  large  pillow-slip,  pulled  down  over  the 
poles  and  basket  and  sewed  up  at  the  bottom.  On 
the  outside  of  the  sheet  is  sometimes  rudely  painted 
a  face,  through  which  the  spirit  of  the  departed  is 
supposed  to  look  out  upon  the  bay. 

Morning  and  evening  the  parents  of  the  boy  come 
out  from  their  hut,  and  turning  their  faces  to  the 
north  utter  loud  cries  of  distress.  This  will  be  kept 
up  several  months. 

A  writer  in  vol.  iii.,  “  North  American  Ethnology,” 
says  : 

”  I  witnessed  a  scene  of  cremation  on  Bear  River 
that  was  one  of  the  most  hideous  and  awful  spectacles 
of  which  the  human  mind  can  conceive.  The  mourn¬ 
ers  leaped  and  howled  around  the  burning  pyre  like 
demons,  holding  long  poles  in  their  hands,  which, 
ever  and  anon  they  thrust  into  the  seething,  blister¬ 
ing  corpse,  with  dismal  cries  of  ^  Wu-wu-um  !  '  On 
American  River,  after  the  body  is  reduced  to  a  little 
smouldering  lump,  the  women  draw  it  out  of  the  fire, 
then  each  one  in  succession  takes  it  in  her  hands, 
holds  it  high  above  her  head,  and  walks  around  the 
pyre,  uttering  doleful  wails  and  ululations.  They 
also  have  a  dance  for  the  dead  (^si  -pi  ka-mi’-ni^  ‘  the 
weeping  dance  ’).  It  always  occurs  about  the  last  of 
August,  beginning  in  the  evening  and  lasting  until 
daybreak.  They  bring  together  a  great  quantity  of 
food,  clothing,  baskets,  and  whatever  other  things 
they  believe  the  dead  require  in  the  other  world. 
Everything  is  bought  or  made  new  fOr  the  occasion  ; 
the  food  is  fresh  and  good,  the  clothing  is  newly 


} 


Mourning  for  the  dead. 


95 


woven  and  fine,  the  ornaments  are  the  best  they  can 
procure.  These  are  hung  on  a  semicircle  of  boughs 
or  small  trees,  cut  and  set  in  the  ground  leafless,  the 
smaller  and  lighter  articles  at  the  top,  twelve  or  fif¬ 
teen  feet  high,  and  the  larger  toward  the  bottom  or 
lying  on  the  ground.  In  the  centre  burns  a  great 
fire,  and  hard  by  are  the  graves.  On  the  opposite 
side  of  the  fire  from  the  offerings  there  is  a  screen 
made  of  bushes,  with  blankets  hung  over  them  to 
reflect  the  light  of  the  fire  brilliantly  on  the  offerings, 
which  glitter  like  a  row  of  Christmas-trees.  They 
seat  themselves  on  the  graves,  men  and  squaws  to¬ 
gether,  as  the  twilight  closes  in  around  them,  and 
begin  a  mournful  wailing,  crying,  and  ululation  for 
the  dead  of  the  year.  After  a  time  they  rise  and 
form  a  circle  round  the  fire,  between  it  and  the  offer¬ 
ings,  and  commence  a  dance,  accompanied  by  that 
hoarse,  deathly  rattle  of  the  Indian  chant  which 
sounds  so  eldritch  and  so  terrible  to  the  civilized  ear. 
Heavily  the  dancing  and  the  singing  goon  from  hour 
to  hour,  and  now  and  then  a  few  pounds  of  provi¬ 
sions,  a  string  of  shell-money,  or  some  article  is 
taken  down  from  the  espaliers  and  cast  into  the 
flames.  All  through  the  night  the  funereal  dance 
goes  on  without  cessation  ;  wilder  and  more  frantic 
grows  the  chanting,  swifter  becomes  the  motion  of 
the  dancers,  and  faster  and  faster  the  offerings  are 
hurled  upon  the  blazing  heap.  The  savage  trans¬ 
ports  wax  amain.  With  frenzied  yells  and  whoops 
they  leap  in  the  flickering  firelight  like  demons — a 
terrible  spectacle.  Now  some  squaw,  if  not  re¬ 
strained,  would  fling  herself  headlong  into  the  burn- 


96 


RELIGIOUS  BELIEFS. 


ing  mass.  Another  will  lie  down  and  calmly  sleep 
amid  the  extraordinary  commotion  for  two  hours, 
then  arise  and  join  as  wildly  as  before  in  the  fright¬ 
ful  orgies.  But  still  the  espaliers  are  not  emptied, 
and  as  the  morning  stars  grow  dim  and  daybreak  is 
close  at  hand,  with  one  frantic  rush,  yelling,  they 
seize  down  the  residue  of  the  clothing  (the  clothing 
is  mostly  reserved  until  near  morning)  and  whirl  it 
into  the  flames,  lest  the  first  gray  streak  of  dawn 
should  appear  before  the  year-long  hunger  of  the 
ghosts  is  appeased.” 

At  the  funeral  of  chiefs  the  traditions  and  history 
of  the  tribe  are  rehearsed.  If  these  ceremonies  are 
not  conducted  properly,  the  water  of  death  swallows 
up  the  departed  soul,  or  it  is  lost  in  the  forests. 
But  if  conducted  properly,  the  chief  of  the  gods 
speaks  the  word,  and  the  ”  water  of  death  is  small,” 
and  the  soul  is  carried  to  a  place  of  rest  or  forgetful¬ 
ness.  Then  after  a  long  time  it  comes  back  to  some 
descendant  on  its  sister’s  side,  and  lives  another  life. 
To  such  superstitions  these  people  are  bound  body 
and  soul. 

Dali  thus  writes  concerning  the  religious  beliefs  of 
the  Thlinkets  : 

”  Their  religion  is  a  feeble  polytheism.  Yehl  is 
the  maker  of  wood  and  waters.  He  put  the  sun, 
moon,  and  stars  in  their  places.  He  lives  in  the 
east,  near  the  head-waters  of  the  Naass  River.  He 
makes  himself  known  in  the  east  wind  ‘  Ssankheth,’ 
and  his  abode  is  ‘  Nassshak-yehl.  ’ 

“  There  was  a  time  when  men  groped  in  the  dark  in 
search  of  the  world.  At  that  time  a  Thlinket  lived 


EVIL  SPIRITS. 


97 


who  had  a  wife  and  sister.  He  loved  the  former  so 
much  that  he  did  not  permit  her  to  work.  Eight  lit¬ 
tle  red  birds,  called  kun,  were  always  around  her. 
One  day  she  spoke  to  a  stranger.  The  little  birds 
flew  and  told  the  jealous  husband,  who  prepared  to 
make  a  box  to  shut  his  wife  up.  He  killed  all  his 
sister’s  children  because  they  looked  at  his  wife. 
Weeping,  the  mother  went  to  the  sea-shore.  A  whale 
saw  her  and  asked  the  cause  of  her  grief,  and  when 
informed,  told  her  to  swallow  a  small  stone  from  the 
beach  and  drink  some  sea-water.  In  eight  months 
she  had  a  son,  whom  she  hid  from  her  brother.  This 
son  was  Yehl. 

“  At  that  time  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars  were  kept 
by  a  rich  chief  in  separate  boxes,  which  he  allowed  no 
one  to  touch.  Yehl,  by  strategy,  secured  and  opened 
these  boxes,  so  that  the  moon  and  stars  shone  in  the 
sky.  When  the  sun  box  was  opened,  the  people, 
astonished  at  the  unwonted  glare,  ran  off  into  the 
mountains,  woods,  and  even  into  the  water,  becom¬ 
ing  animals  or  fish.  He  also  provided  fire  and  water. 
Having  arranged  everything  for  the  comfort  of  the 
Thlinkets,  he  disappeared  where  neither  man  nor 
spirit  can  penetrate. 

“  There  are  an  immense  number  of  minor  spirits 
called  yekh.  Each  shaman  has  his  own  familiar 
spirits  that  do  his  bidding,  and  others  on  whorrf  he 
may  call  in  certain  emergencies.  These  spirits  are 
divided  into  three  classes — Khiyekh  (the  upper  ones), 
Takhi-yekh  (land  spirits),  and  Tekhi-yekh  (sea  spir¬ 
its)  The  first  are  the  spirits  of  the  brave  killed  in 
war,  and  dwelling  in  the  north.  Hence  a  great  dis- 


98 


SHAMANISM. 


play  of  northern  lights  is  looked  upon  as  an  omen  of 
war.  The  second  and  third  are  the  spirits  of  those 
who  died  in  the  common  way,  and  who  dwell  in 
Takhan-khov.  The  ease  with  which  these  latter  reach 
their  appointed  place  is  dependent  on  the  conduct 
of  their  relations  in  mourning  for  them.  In  addition 
to  these  spirits  everyone  has  his  yekh,  who  is  always 
with  him,  except  in  cases  when  the  man  becomes  ex¬ 
ceedingly  bad,  when  the  yekh  leaves  him. 
a.'ff  These  spirits  only  permit  themselves  to  be  con¬ 
jured  .by  the  sound  of  a  drum  or  rattle.  The  last  is 
ustially.'imade  in  the  shape  of  a  bird,  hollow,  and 
filled  with  small  stones.  These  are  used  at  all 
festivities/and  whenever  the  spirits  are  wanted.” 

lAs  thel  good  spirits,  from  the  very  nature  of  the 
case,  willnnot^  harm  them,  the  Indians  pay  but  little 
attentionoto  them.  They  give  their  chief  attention 
to.  propitiating  thecevil  spirits,  so  that  their  religion 
practicaUyo resolves  Itself  into  devil-worship  or  de- 
monolatryi^r  This  is' called  Shamanism,  or  the  giving 
of  offeringsstdl  evil  spirits  )to  prevent  them  from  doing 
mischiefuto  the  ^bfferer.gnlt_  is  said  to  have  been  the 
old  religion  of i  the-j-Tartarl  race  before  the  introduc¬ 
tion  of  Buddhism,  and  is  still  that  of  the  Siberians. 
Indeed,‘i'lohg  ago ‘iPaurb  declared p;‘‘  the  things  which 
the  GentLlescsacirifice,'theyrsacrifiGe  to  devils^  and  not 
to.  God  vv  (r:'Corfpa'obr2o),pnThe'  0n;ei  whose  office  it  is 
to  perform  thesT  rites iisitiiQi^led  arsliaman,  and  is  the 
sorceren'pr ■  imedictee-niiilB-afs thfiotedbes.  The  sha¬ 
man  has  controlbhbfrohlyro.f  >tlici(§piri[ts.,i  but,  through 
the  spirits^'of  diseases,  of ’the  elements  yarixl  .of  nature, 
he  holds_in  his  power  success  or  ^mis'fortuiie:,  bless- 


shamanism. 


99 


ing  or  cursing.  “  The  honor  and  respect,”  says 
Dali,  ”  with  which  a  shaman  is  regarded-  depend  on 
the  number  of  spirits  under  his  control,  who,  prop¬ 
erly  employed,  contribute  largely  to  his  wealth.  For 


INNUIT  STONE  CARVED  SPOON- 

KNIFE.  KNIFE.  HANDLE. 


every  one  of  them  he  has  a  name  and  certain  songs. 
Sometimes  the  spirits  of  his  ancestors  come  to  his 
assistance  and  increase  his  power,  so  that  it  is  be¬ 
lieved  he  can  throw  his  spirits  into  other  people  who 


loo 


SHAMAN  CUSTOMS. 


do  not  believe  in  his  art.  Those  unfortunate  wretches 
to  whom  this  happens  suffer  from  horrible  fits  and 
paroxysms. 

“  When  the  shaman  is  sick  his  relations  fast  to  pro¬ 
mote  his  recovery.  His  command  is  law.  The  sha¬ 
mans  long  since  forbade  the  eating  of  whale’s  flesh 
and  blubber,  one  of  the  greatest  delicacies  among 
the  neighboring  tribes  ;  and  to  this  day  it  is  regarded 
with  abhorrence  by  the  Thlinkets. 

“The  shaman  has  a  large 
amount  of  paraphernalia.  This 
includes  wooden  masks,  one  for 
each  spirit,  carved  and  carefully 
painted.  These  are  distinct 
from  the  masks  used  by  all  the 
Thlinkets  in  their  dances  and 
festivals. 

“The  hair  of  the  shaman  must 
never  be  cut.  After  his  death, 
as  was  mentioned  previously, 
his  body  is  not  burned,  but  de¬ 
posited  in  a  wooden  box  on  four  high  posts.  For 
the  first  night  it  remains  lying,  in  the  corner  where 
he  died  ;  but  on  the  following  day  it  is  removed  to 
the  opposite  corner,  and  this  is  continued  until  the 
body  has  visited  each  of  the  four  corners  of  the  house. 
All  the  inmates  of  the  house  fast  meanwhile. 

“  On  the  fifth  day  the  body,  dressed  in  the  garb  of 
his  profession,  is  bound  to  a  board.  Two  ivory  or 
bone  wands,  which  the  shaman  used  in  his  perform¬ 
ances,  are  placed,  the  one  in  the  cartilage  of  the 
nose  and  the  other  in  the  hair,  which  is  tied  together. 


ALEUTIAN  MASK. 


SHAMANISM. 


lOI 


“  The  head  is  covered  with  a  piece  of  basket-work, 
and  the  body  is  carried  to  its  final  resting-place,  al¬ 
ways  on  the  shore.  Every  time  a  Thlinket  paddles 
by  the  remains  he  throws  an  offering,  as  a  little  to¬ 
bacco,  in  the  water,  that  he  may  by  this  means  find 
favor  in  the  eyes  of  the  dead  man. 

“  One  example  of  the  manner  in  which  shamanism 
is  practised  will  suffice. 

“  On  the  day  appointed  for  the  exhibition  of  his 


power,  his  relations,  who  act  the  part  of  a  chorus  of 
singers,  are  obliged  to  fast.  Nay,  more  than  that : 
they  are  obliged  to  use  a  feather  as  an  emetic,  and 
free  themselves  entirely  from  such  gross  material  sub¬ 
stances  as  food. 

“The  performance  commences  at  sunset  and  lasts 
till  sunrise.  All  who  wish  to  participate  assemble  in 
the  lodge  or  hut  of  the  shaman,  where  they  join  in  a 
song,  to  which  time  is  beaten  on  a  drum.  Dressed 
in  his  paraphernalia,  with  a  mask  over  his  face,  the 


102 


INCANTATIONS. 


shaman  rushes  round  and  round  the  fire,  which  is 
burning  in  the  centre  of  the  lodge  ;  he  keeps  his 
eyes  directed  toward  the  opening  in  the  roof,  and 
keeps  time  to  the  drum  with  violent  motions  of  his 
limbs  and  body.  These  movements  gradually  be¬ 
come  more  convulsive  ;  his  eyes  roll  till  the  whites 
alone  are  visible.  Suddenly  he  stops,  looks  intently 
at  the  drum,  and  utters  loud  cries.  The  singing 
ceases,  and  all  eyes  are  directed  toward  him,  and 
all  ears  strained  to  catch  the  utterances  which  are 
supposed  to  be  inspired.  These  ceremonies  com¬ 
prise  the  whole  art  of  shamanism  among  the  Thlin- 
kets.  The  spirits  of  the  different  classes  appear  to 
the  shaman  in  different  forms.  By  changing  the 
masks  he  places  himself  ‘  en  rapport  ’  with  the  spirit 
to  which  each  mask  is  dedicated.  It  is  believed  that 
this  spirit  inspires  for  the  moment  all  the  utterances 
of  the  shaman,  who  is  for  the  moment  unconscious.” 

Bancroft,  in  his  ”  Native  Races  on  the  Pacific 
Coast,”  thus  speaks  of  shamanism  :  ”  Thick,  black 

clouds,  portentous  of  evil,  hang  threateningly  over  the 
savage  during  his  entire  life.  Genii  murmur  in  the 
flowing  river  ;  in  the  rustling  branches  of  trees  are 
heard  the  breathings  of  the  gods  ;  goblins  dance  in 
the  vapory  twilight,  and  demons  howl  in  the  dark¬ 
ness.  All  these  beings  are  hostile  to  man,  and  must 
be  propitiated  by  gifts  and  prayers  and  sacrifices  ; 
and  the  religious  worship  of  some  of  the  tribes  in¬ 
cludes  practices  which  are  frightful  in  their  atrocity. 
Here,  for  example,  is  a  .rite  of  sorcery  as  practised 
among  the  Haidahs,  one  of  the  northern  nations  : 

”  When  the  salmon  season  is  over,  and  the  pro- 


SORCERY. 


103 


visions  of  winter  have  been  stored  away,  feasting 
and  conjuring  begin.  The  chief — who  seems  to  be 
principal  sorcerer,  and  indeed  to  possess  little  au¬ 
thority  save  for  his  connection  with  the  preterhuman 
powers — goes  off  to  the  loneliest  and  wildest  retreat 
he  knows  of  or  can  discover  in  the  mountains  or  for¬ 
ests,  and  half  starves  himself  there  for  some  weeks, 
till  he  is  worked  up  to  a  frenzy  of  religious  insanity, 
and  the  nawloks — fearful  beings  of  some  kind  not 
human — consent  to  communicate  with  him  by  voices 
or  otherwise.  During  all  this  observance  the  chief 
is  called  taamish^  and  woe  to  the  unlucky  Haidah 
who  happens  by  chance  so  much  as  to  look  on  him 
during  its  continuance  !  Even  if  the  taamish  do  not 
instantly  slay  the  intruder,  his  neighbors  are  certain 
to  do  so  when  the  thing  comes  to  their  knowledge, 
and  if  the  victim  attempt  to  conceal  the  affair,  or 
do  not  himself  confess  it,  the  most  cruel  tortures  are 
added  to  his  fate.  At  last  the  inspired  demoniac 
returns  to  his  village,  naked  save  a  bear-skin  or  a 
ragged  blanket,  with  a  chaplet  on  his  head  and  a 
red  band  of  alder-bark  about  his  neck.  He  springs 
on  the  first  person  he  meets,  bites  out  and  swallows 
one  or  more  mouthfuls  of  the  man’s  living  flesh 
wherever  he  can  fix  his  teeth,  then  rushes  to  another 
and  another,  repeating  his  revolting  meal  till  he 
falls  into  a  torpor  from  his  sudden  and  half-masti¬ 
cated  surfeit  of  flesh.  For  some  days  after  this  he 
lies  in  a  kind  of  coma,  ‘  like  an  overgorged  beast  of 
prey,’  as  Dunn  says  ;  the  same  observer  adding  that 
his  breath  during  that  time  is  ‘  like  an  exhalation 
from  the  grave.’  The  victirns  of  this  ferocity  dare 


104 


DANCES. 


not  resist  the  bite  of  the  taaniish  ;  on  the  contrary, 
they  are  sometimes  willing  to  offer  themselves  to 
the  ordeal,  and  are  always  proud  of  its  scars.” 

All  the  Alaska  Indians  are  held  in  abject  fear  by 
the  conjurers  or  medicine-men. 

During  the  visit  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Henry  Kendall 
and  party  to  Alaska,  in  1879,  the  Christian  Indians 
at  Fort  Wrangell,  in  order  to  testify  their  joy  at  our 
visit,  and  also  to  show  us  what  were  their  customs 
before  the  missionary  came,  gave  a  series  of  enter¬ 
tainments. 

One  afternoon  we  were  invited  to  the  house  of 
Toy-a-att,  a  leading  chief  and  Christian,  to  witness  a 
representation  of  some  of  their  national  customs. 

When  everything  was  prepared,  dressed  in  a  hunt¬ 
ing-shirt,  with  face  blackened  and  spear  in  hand, 
Toy-a-att  appeared  in  the  war-dance.  Retiring  with 
much  applause  he  reappeared  in  the  form  of  a  wolf, 
and,  with  mask,  rolling  eyes  and  snapping  teeth, 
gave  the  dance  of  the  ”  invocation  of  the  spirits  for 
success  in  hunting.”  Then  he  put  on  a  horrible 
mask  to  represent  the  devil,  and  with  hideous  rat¬ 
tles  gave  the  devil  or  Tamanamus  dance.  Then  with 
dress  and  mask,  and  large  hat  with  tinkling  bells  on 
the  rim  and  eider-down  in  the  crown  (which  down 
he  showered  around  the  room  as  blessings  upon  his 
guests),  and  rattles  in  his  hands,  he  gave  us  the  re¬ 
ligious  dance  of  the  shamans  or  medicine-men. 

After  a  series  of  national  dances  he  came  out  and 
made  a  speech,  apologizing  for  the  feebleness  of  his 
representations.  In  his  red  cloth  shirt,  covered 
with  mythological  emblems  worked  in  white  pearl 


RELIGIOUS  TRADITIONS. 


105 


buttons  and  beads,  his  embroidered  and  painted 
deer-skin  blanket  thrown  over  one  shoulder  and 
gathered  under  the 
other  arm,  with  one 
foot  advanced  and 
erect  head,  with 
graceful  and  expres¬ 
sive  {gestures,  he 
spoke  in  substance  as 
follows  : 

“  When  I  was  a 
young  man  I  danced 
vigorously;  now, 
since  I  have  become 
a  Christian,  I  have 
almost  forgotten  how. 

When  I  was  young  I 
was  a  great  fighter  ; 
now  I  have  learned 
from  Christianity  to 
fight  no  more.  Chris¬ 
tianity  has  changed 
us.  Formerly  we 
thought  the  crow 
made  us,  and  made 
these  mountains,  and 
the  water,  and  every¬ 
thing  ;  now  we  know 
God  made  it.  Thev 
lie  who  say  no  God  made  the  sun,  moon,  light, 
darkness.  God  made  them  all  with  his  strong 
arm.  Our  fathers  were  foolish,  and  said  the  crow 


SEAL-TOOTH  HEAD-DRESS. 


io6 


RELIGIOUS  TRADITIONS. 


made  it  ;  now  we  know  better  ;  we  know  that  God 
made  them. 

“  My  brothers,  I  thank  you.  You  come  into  this 
house  to  see  how  we  used  to  do.  You  laugh  at  what 
we  used  to  do.  We  were  foolish.  Now  we  know 


INNUIT  HARPOON-IIEADS. 


better.  Now  God  show  his  kindness  to  us  ;  now  he 
send  his  ministers  to  teach  us  the  new  way  ;  now  he 
building  churches  for  us.  Now  we  forsake  the  old 
way.  We  not  like  as  we  used  to  do — fight,  shoot, 
wound,  trouble,  all  the  time.  Now  peace  all  the 
time.  See  my  house — no  ball  or  shot  go  through  it. 


INDIAN  SPEECH. 


107 


All  God’s  work  now.  Before  the  devil  says  to  quar¬ 
rel  and  fight  and  do  bad  ;  now  we  have  peace  all  the 
time  ;  nobody  hurt  us.  [Bringing  out  his  war-spear 
and  defensive  armor,  and  laying  them  in  the  middle 
of  the  room.]  I  fight  no  more.  I  give  up  my  spear. 
All  peace,  all  love  now.  I  have  a  Saviour.  He  died 
on  the  cross  to  save  me.  I  believe  on  God.  I  am 
now  old.  When  I  die  I  know  where  I  go,  I  go  to 
God,  my  Saviour.  My  heart  is  very  happy  now.  I 
am  in  a  bay  where  no  wind  ;  no  wind  now  to  upset 
my  canoe  and  trouble  me.  I  am  in  a  safe  harbor. 
The  Loi'd  is  my  light  and  peace.” 

Toy-a-att  was  followed  by  John  Kadeshan  (also  a 
chief),  who  said  :  “You  have  heard  how  bad  I  was 
long  ago.  I  thought  it  good.  When  I  do  bad  to 
any  one  I  had  a  proud  heart.  I  didn’t  know  what 
I  say  or  do.  I  do  what  the  devil  tell  me.  How 
great  the  change  now.  Some  one  whisper  in  my  ear 
and  humble  my  heart  to  God.  Formerly  white  men 
come  here  and  blind  our  hearts.  They  didn’t  tell  us 
the  way  ;  they  learned  us  more  badness.  White  men 
lie  to  us  about  other  Indians,  and  make  us  enemies. 
We  knew  no  God  in  heaven,  and  they  didn’t  tell  us. 
Then  we  hear  a  little  about  God  at  Fort  Simpson 
and  they  tell  us  to  pray  God  to  send  us  a  teacher, 
too.  We  then  cry  to  God  ;  we  ask  God.  He  answer 
our  prayers.  He  never  forget  us  while  sinners.  He 
answer  our  prayer.  He  send  Clah  and  Mrs.  Mc¬ 
Farland  and  Mr.  Young.  See  how  kind  God  is.  He 
answer  our  poor  prayer.  We  don’t  disbelieve  God. 
See  with  your  own  eyes  what  God  has  done  for  us. 
Other  Indians  laugh  at  us  because  we  cry  to  God  for 


io8 


INDIAN  FEAST. 


a  teacher.  But  you  see  how  it  is.  God  heard.  We 
no  ashamed  ;  no  disbelive  him.  White  men  laugh 
at  us  because  we  Christians.  We  don’t  care  ;  we 
not  ashamed.  They  laugh  against  God,  and  cry 
down  us.  But  we  must  strong  our  hearts,  and  not 
care  for  what  they  say.” 

The  next  week  Moses  and  Aaron,  Matthew,  Lot, 
Toy-a-att,  Kadeshan,  and  the  other  Christian  In¬ 
dians  combined  and  gave  us  a  feast.  It  was  held  in 
Matthew’s  house.  Previous  to  his  conversion  he 
had  been  a  noted  sorcerer,  and  his  house  was  fre¬ 
quently  used  for  the  superstitious  rites  and  devil- 
worship  of  heathenism.  After  his  conversion  it  was 
as  frequently  used  for  church  and  school,  by  Clah. 
Upon  my  first  visit  to  Fort  Wrangell,  to  commence 
Presbyterian  missions,  I  found  upon  the  door  the 
following  : 

Notice  by  Governor  Matthew. — That  no  China¬ 
man  or  white  man  allowed  to  have  lodging  in  my 
house,  only  for  Christ’s  service. 

By  Order  of  Matthew. 

Fort  Wrangell,  April  26,  1877. 

At  sunrise  the  boom  of  a  cannon  started  us  from 
our  beds  to  look  down  the  straits  for  an  incoming 
steamer  ;  but  it  was  a  morning  salute,  fired  by  the 
jndians  to  express  their  joy  that  the  day  had  come 
during  which  they  could  entertain  those  who  had 
come  all  the  way  across  from  another  ocean  to  see 
them.  At  noon  another  salute  was  fired,  and  boys 
sent  through  the  village  ringing  hand-bells  to  an¬ 
nounce  that  the  feast  was  now  ready.  At  one 


ADOPTION  INTO  STICKEEN  TRIBE.  109 

o’clock  we  heard  still  another  salute,  which  was  the 
signal  for  us  to  start  for  the  entertainment. 

We  were  met  at  the  door  by  chief  Toy-a-att,  decked 
in  his  official  red  shirt,  dressed  deer-skin  leggins, 
and  red,  white  and  purple  sash.  He  was  followed 
by  the  leading  men  of  the  tribe,  who  met  us  with 
warm  shaking  of  hands  and  boisterous  expressions  of 
delight.  As  Toy-a-att  took  the  hand  of  Dr.  Ken¬ 
dall,  the  booming  cannon,  ringing  bells,  and  cheer 
upon  cheer  gave  vent  to  the  joy  of  assembled  Ind¬ 
ians  at  the  presence  of  the  great  white  chief  of  mis¬ 
sions.  Tables  were  arranged  along  two  sides  of  the 
room,  and  covered  with  bread,  crackers,  cakes, 
pies,  fish,  corned  beef,  canned  peaches,  fresh  berries, 
white  sugar,  butter,  tea,  coffee,  etc.  Two  large  bou¬ 
quets  of  beautiful  wild  flowers  added  to  the  attrac¬ 
tiveness  of  the  tables.  The  chairs  and  seats  were 
cushioned  with  blankets  and  costly  furs.  Upon  a 
pole  at  the  door  waved  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  and  at 
the  foot  of  the  pole  the  small  cannon  used  in  firing 
the  salute. 

There  were  present  eighteen  whites  and  seventy- 
five  Indians.  During  the  dinner  we  were  entertained 
with  native  music  upon  a  tambourine  drum.  After 
dinner,  of  course  speeches.  Moses,  rising  from  his 
seat,  salJ  : 

“  In  our  old  ways,  when  a  man  succeeds  to  the 
chieftainship  upon  the  death  of  his  uncle  he  makes 
a  great  feast,  and  invites  all  the  tribes  far  and  near. 
For  this  he  has  bei  n  gathenng  blankets  and  furs  and 
slaves  for  years.  This  feast  lasts  many  days,  during 
which  the  blankets  and  furs  are  given  away,  slaves 


no 


HEALING  THE  SICK. 


killed  and  all  the  people  fed.  This  entertainment 
will  cost  from  Jiooo  to  $2000  in  presents  and  provi¬ 
sions.  At  this  time  the  heir  takes  the  name  and  place 
of  the  chief  who  is  dead.  His  name  costs  him  a  great 
deal.  We  now  honor  you  with  the  names  of  our 
people,  without  money  or  blankets.  You,  Dr.  Ken¬ 
dall,  whom  we  love,  we  name  Kohan-ow  (Cinnamon 
Bear,  which  kills  lots  of  slaves),  after  my  brother 
Aaron.  And  you.  Dr.  Jackson,  we  name  Koostan- 
ine  (Great  Whale),  for  the  whale  family  is  influential 
among  us.  And  you,  Mrs  Jackson,  we  call  Ko-da-te. 
And  you,  Dr.  Corlies,  we  call  San-to-nine  (brother  to 
Mr,  Young).  And  you,  Mr.  Vanderbilt,  we  name 
Kadeshan.'’ 

Th^n  Toy-a-att  arose  and  said  : 

“  I  am  sorry  you  sit  in  this  old-fashioned  Indian 
house.  When  you  come  back  again  we  will  have  a 
new  American  house  for  you  to  sit  in.  But  I  am  so 
happy  you  are  here,  I  would  not  care  if  anybody 
kicked  me.  When  we  name  our  people  we  have  a 
feast.  We  now  give  you  our  names  and  make  you 
our  people.  L.ong  ago  1  knew  how  to  fight,  and  the 
people  called  me  Toy-a-att  (Great  Fighter).  I  now 
give  my  name  to  Mr.  Young,  because  he  comes  and 
fights  our  battles  for  us.  And  you.  Dr.  Lindsley, 
we  call  Tenn-na-take  (Grandchild  of  Shaaks).” 

After  the  speeches,  some  ballads  narrating  national 
history  and  traditions  were  sung.  The  tables  were 
then  cleared,  and  we  had  the  tableau  of  a  Chilcat 
princess  in  her  royal  dress. 

The  entertainment  closed  with  the  representation 
of  a  shaman  healing  the  sick  by  sorcery.  It  was  a 


SHAMAN  AND  SICK  MAN. 


■ 


\ 


t 


ft 


k 


I 


II 


HEALING  THE  SICK. 


II3 

Strange,  weird  scene.  The  sick  man  lay  upon  the 
floor  in  a  blanket.  Soon  an  Indian  entered  bearing 
upon  his  shoulder  a  large  box,  which  was  placed  by 
the  sick  man.  The  box  contained  the  paraphernalia 
of  the  sorcerer.  The  attendant  was  followed  by  the 
shaman  dressed  in  the  costume  of  his  order,  with 
long,  dishevelled  hair,  rattles  in  his  hand,  and  his 
face  covered  by  a  hideous  mask.  He  walked  around 
the  fire  in  the  centre  of  the  room,  occasionally  cast¬ 
ing  side  glances  at  the  sick  man  and  shaking  his  head 
dubiously.  Soon  a  friend  of  the  sick  man  brought 
in  some  furs  and  laid  at  the  feet  of  the  shaman,  for 
he  must  have  his  pay  in  advance.  He  still  shook  his 
head,  with  low  mutterings.  More  furs  were  brought, 
and  again  the  friends  went  out  and  collected  what 
they  could  to  satisfy  the  shaman.  When  he  had 
received  all  that  the  friends  were  able  to  gather,  he 
commenced  business. 

Young  men  beat  gongs  and  kept  time  with  sticks 
on  the  floor,  while  the  friends  chanted  a  monotonous 
song.  The  shaman  shook  his  rattles  over  the  sick 
man  and  threw  himself  into  every  kind  of  hideous 
attitude,  with  horrible  contortions  of  features.  He 
rushed  wildly  around  the  fire,  striking  savagely  at  at¬ 
tendants  with  a  dagger,  flew  at  the  sick  man,  ran  his 
tongue  at  him,  hissed,  sometimes  falling  to  the  floor 
as  if  in  a  swoon.  An  attendant  from  time  to  time 
changed  his  mask  and  head-dress.  Each  mask  rep¬ 
resents  a  different  spirit.  And  if  one  spirit  has  not 
sufficient  power  he  tries  another.  Worked  up  to 
perfect  frenzy,  he  finally  declared  that  the  sick  man 
is  bewitched,  and  immediately  commences  to  trace 


ENTERTAINMENT. 


1 14 

up  the  witch.  Hand  over  hand,  as  if  following  a  cord 
in  a  labyrinth,  or  as  a  dog  tracks  his  prey,  he  fol¬ 
lowed  the  imaginary  line  here  and  there  until  it  ended 
at  some  person,  who  is  accused  of  being  the  witch, 
and  is  often  taken  and  tortured  to  death  in  order 
that  the  sick  person,  relieved  from  the  baleful  influ¬ 
ence,  may  get  well. 

A  few  days  later  Shaaks,  the  head  chief,  gave -the 
closing  entertainment.  Again  we  were  greeted  with 
booming  cannons,  ringing  bells,  and  cheering  Ind¬ 
ians.  The  main  representation  at  this  time  was  the 
ancient  potlach  dance  of  the  Tsimpseans. 

There  were  eleven  men  and  seven  women  among 
the  performers.  They  were  dressed  in  masks  and 
costly  robes  and  furs,  representing  a  grizzly  bear,  a 
deer,  porpoise,  fox,  crow,  and  other  animals.  It  was 
a  scene  of  barbaric  gorgeousness  that  cannot  well  be 
described.  At  the  conclusion  of  which  Shaaks  said  : 

“  Dear  brothers,  this  is  how  we  used  to  do  before 
white  men  came.  We  don’t  know  who  taught  us 
these  dances.  But  we  liked  them.  Now,  may  God 
pity  us,  we. so  blind.  All  this  we  do  long  ago,  but 
now  it  is  past.  God’s  word  is  never  past.  Now  you 
see  with  your  own  eyes  how  blind  we  were.  God 
don’t  like  these  things,  and  we  put  them  away.  Now 
we  know  better,  and  use  them  for  the  last  time. 
God. pity  us,  and  send  his  Son  to  the  world.  White 
men  knew  it  first.  They  pity  us  and  tell  us.  Now 
you  come  to  see  us,  and  we  are  very  happy.” 


CHAPTER  III. 


The  Degradation  of  Indian  Women  in  Alaska — Female  Infanticide 

— The  Sale  of  Girls — Female  Slavery — Polygamy — Habitations 

of  Cruelty — Widow-burning — Murder  of  the  Old  and  Feeble 

“  Come  and  help  us  !”  hear  them  calling, 

Heathen  in  a  Christian  land, 

Groaning  under  Satan’s  bondage, 

Yearning  for  a  helping  hand.” 

As  in  all  barbarous  lands  the  heaviest  burdens  and 
greatest  degradation  fall  upon  the  women,  so  in 
sections  of  Alaska. 

From  early  childhood  they  are  accustomed  to 
every  kind  of  drudgery  and  oppression. 

Female  infanticide  is  common  among  some  of 
the  tribes,  particularly  the  Mahlemuts  and  those  on 
the  Yukon.  Many  Indian  mothers,  to  save  their 
daughters  from  their  own  wretched  lives,  take  them, 
out  into  the  woods,  stuff  grass  into  their  mouths, 
and  leave  them  to  die. 

The  Rev.  W.  VV.  Kirby,  of  the  Church  Missionary 
Society,  who  penetrated  through  British  America  to 
the  Upper  Yukon,  says  :  “In  common  with  all  sav¬ 
age  7)  Dple,  the  Indians  regard  their  women  as  slaves, 


FEMALE  INFANTICIDE. 


1 16 

and  compel  them  to  do  the  hardest  work,  while  they 
look  lazily  on,  enjoying  the  luxury  of  a  pipe,  and 
often  requite  their  service  with  harsh  words  and 
cruel  blows.  They  are  inferior  in  looks  and  fewer  in 
number  than  the  men.  The  former  probably  arises 
from  the  harsh  treatment  they  receive,  and  the  latter 
is  caused  in  a  great  measure  by  the  too  prevalent 
custom  of  female  infanticide.  Many  a  poor  mother 
assured  me  that  she  had  killed  her  child  to  save  it 
from  suffering  the  misery  she  had  herself  endured. 

Then  came  the  sad  and  harrowing  tales  of 
murder  and  infanticide.  No  fewer  than  thirteen 
women  confessed  to  having  slain  their  infant  girls, 
some  in  the  most  cruel  and  heartless  manner.” 

Spared  in  infancy,  the  lesson  of  inferiority  is  early 
burned  into  the  lives  of  the  girls.  While  mere 
babes  they  are  sometimes  given  away  or  betrothed 
to  their  future  husbands.  And  when  they  arrive  at 
the  age  of  twelve  or  fourteen  years,  among  the 
Tinneh,  the  Thlinkets,  and  others,  they  are  often 
offered  for  sale.  For  a  few  blankets  a  mother  will 
sell  her  own  daughter,  for  base  purposes,  for  a  week, 
a  month,  or  for  life. 

All  through  that  vast  land  wretched  woman  is  sys¬ 
tematically  oppressed — made  prematurely  old  in 
bearing  man’s  burden  rs  well  as  her  own.  In  some 
sections  all  the  work  but  hunting  and  fighting  falls 
upon  her — even  the  boys  transferring  their  loads  and 
work  to  their  sisters. 

Said  a  great  chief,  ”  Women  are  made  to  labor. 
One  of  them  can  haul  as  much  as  two  men  can  do, 


SLAVERY — POLYGAMY. 


It; 

They  pitch  our  tents,  make  and  mend  our  clothing,” 
etc. 

And  as  if  their  ordinary  condition  was  not  bad 
enough,  the  majority  of  the  slaves  are  women.  The 
men  captured  in  war  are  usually  killed  or  reserved 
for  torture,  'but  the  women  are  kept  as  beasts  of 
burden,  and  often  treated  with  great  inhumanity. 
The  master’s  power  over  them  is  unlimited.  He  can 
torture  or  put  them  to  death  at  will.  Sometimes, 
upon  the  death  of  the  master,  one  or  more  of  them 
are  put  to  death,  that  he  may  have  some  one  to  wait 
upon  him  in  the  next  world. 

Polygamy,  with  all  its  attendant  evils,  is  common 
among  many  tribes.  These  wives  are  often  sisters. 
Sometimes  a  man’s  own  mother  or  daughter  is  among 
his  wives.  If  a  man’s  wife  bears  him  only  daughters, 
he  continues  to  take  other  wives  until  he  has  sons. 
One  of  the  Nasse  chiefs  is  said  to  have  had  forty 
wives. 

On  the  Upper  Yukon  the  man  multiplies  his  wives 
as  the  farmer  his  oxen.  The  more  wives,  the  more 
meat  he  can  have  hauled,  the  more  wood  cut,  and 
more  goods  carried. 

When  a  young  girl  arrives  at  maturity  she  is  con¬ 
sidered  unclean.  Everything  she  comes  in  contact 
with,  and  even  the  sky  she  looks  upon,  is  considered 
unclean.  She  is  therefore  thought  to  be  unfit  for 
the  sun  to  shine  upon,  and  is  confined  for  a  year  in 
a  hut  so  small  that  she  cannot  stand  upright  in  it. 
Only  the  girl’s  mother  is  allowed  to  approach  her, 
and  she  only  to  bring  her  food. 


Ii8 


TATTOOING. 


Around  Sitka  this  period  has  been  shortened  to 
three  months.  At  the  close  of  this  imprisonment 
she  is  taken  out,  her  old  clothes  burned,  new  ones 
provided,  and  a  feast  given,  during  which  a  slit  is 
cut  in  the  under  lip,  parallel  with  the  mouth,  and  a 
piece  of  wood  or  shell  inserted  to  keep  the  aperture 
extended.  After  marriage  they  are  practically  slaves 
of  their  husbands.  Among  some  tribes  their  persons 
are  at  the  disposal  of  visitors  or  travellers,  guests  of 
their  husbands.  They  are  sometimes,  in  Southern 
Alaska,  sent  to  the  mines,  while  the  husband  lives 
in  idleness  at  home  on  the  wages  of  their  immorality. 
If  ill-behaved,  excessively  lazy,  or  barren,  they  are 
sent  away.  Sometimes  they  are  traded  off  by  the 
husband  for  something  he  may  desire.  In  child¬ 
birth,  when  needing  the  most  tender  care,  they 
are  driven  out  of  the  house  as  unclean,  and  kept  for 
ten  days  in  an  uncomfortable  hut,  without  attention. 
Their  very  lives  are  in  his  hands.  During  our  visit  to 
Fort  Wrangell  in  1879,  an  Indian  killed  his  wife  and 
brought  her  body  into  the  village  for  a  funeral.  No 
one  could  interfere.  According  to  their  customs  he 
had  bought  her  as  he  would  buy  a  dog,  and  if  he 
chose  he  could  kill  her  as  he  would  kill  a  dog. 

At  the  age  of  twelve  to  fourteen  the  girls  are  tor¬ 
tured  with  tattooing.  According  to  Bancroft,  “  The 
color  is  applied  by  drawing  a  thread  under  the  skin 
or  pricking  it  in  with  a  needle.  The  form  varies 
among  different  tribes  and  different  classes  of  the 
same  tribe.  The  favorite  colors  seem  to  be  red  and 
blue,  though  black  and  leaden  colors  are  common. 
A  common  woman  of  some  of  the  tribes  is  permitted 


TATTOOING, 


/'.nsii 


/,;»»*{«}) 

pniiimuh 

I'!'  JlWum 


I'^v . 


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I  4 


WIDOW-BURNING. 


I2I 


to  adorn  her  chin  with  but  one  vertical  line  in  the 
centre  and  one  parallel  to  it  on  either  side,  while  a 
woman  in  the  upper  and  wealthier  classes  is  allowed 
two  vertical  lines  from  each  corner  of  the  mouth.” 

”  Young  Kadiak  wives  secure  the  affectionate  admi¬ 
ration  of  their  husbands  by  tattooing  the  breast  and 
adorning  the  face  with  black  lines,  while  the  Kusko- 
quim  women  sew  into  their  chins  two  parallel  blue 
lines.  And  not  content  with  tattooing,  they  also  daub 
the  face  with  various  paints,  make  necklaces  of  cop¬ 
per  wire,  cover  the  face  with  grotesque  wooden 
masks,  scar  their  limbs  and  breasts  with  knives, 
pierce  the  nose,  ears,  and  chin,  filling  the  apertures 
with  bones,  shells,  and  pieces  of  copper,  and  attach 
heavy  weights  which  draw  the  face  out  of  propor¬ 
tion.  The  more  the  chin  is  riddled  with  holes  the 
greater  the  respectability.  Very  aristocratic  women 
sometimes  have  as  many  , as  six  ornaments  in  their 
chin.  They  live  in  constant  fear  of  innumerable 
spirits  which  fill  the  earth,  the  air,  and  the  waters. 
Some  of  these  spirits  are  good,  but  the  majority  of 
them  are  supposed  to  be  evil  and  ever  on  the  watch 
to  do  them  harm.  To  appease  the  wrath  of  these  evil 
spirits  they  employ  the  shamans  to  make  offerings, 
and  sometimes,  though  very  rarely,  offer  a  human 
sacrifice  of  a  woman  slave.” 

Among  some  Indians,  on  the  Upper  Yukon,  when 
a  man  dies  his  widow  is  compelled  to  ascend  the 
burning  funeral-pile,  throw  herself  upon  the  body, 
and  remain  there  until  the  hair  is  burned  from  her 
head,  and  she  is  almost  suffocated.  She  is  then  al¬ 
lowed  to  stagger  from  the  pile,  but  must  frequently 


122 


THE  OLD  AND  FEEBLE  KILLED. 


thrust  her  hand  through  the  flames  and  place  it 
upon  his  bosom,  to  show  her  continued  devotion. 
If  through  pain  or  faintness  she  fails  to  perform  her 
duties,  she  is  held  up  and  pressed  forward  by  others, 
her  cries  and  shrieks  being  drowned  in  wild  songs 
and  the  beating  of  drums.  Finally,  the  ashes  are 
gathered  up  and  placed  in  a  little  sack,  which  the 
widow  carries- on  her  person  for  two  years.  During 
this  period  of  mourning  she  is  clothed  in  rags  and 
treated  as  a  slave.  If  there  is  more  than  one  wife, 
they  are  ranged  along  the  dead  body  of  the  husband, 
with  their  heads  resting  upon  the  corpse.  This  po¬ 
sition  is  maintained  until  the  hair  is  burned  from 
their  heads.  When  suffocated  and  almost  senseless, 
they  withdraw  their  heads  from  the  fire,  after  which 
they  hold  one  hand  and  then  the  other  in  the  fire  un¬ 
til  the  corpse  is  consumed.  The  ashes  are  gathered 
up  and  divided  between  them.  Not  unfrequently 
they  commit  suicide  to  avoid  their  slavery. 

Among  the  Kariak  the  old  and  feeble  are  some¬ 
times  destroyed.  This  is  done  by  placing  a  rope 
around  the  neck  and  dragging  them  over  the  stones. 
If  this  does  not  kill,  then  the  body  is  stoned  or 
speared  and  left  to  be  eaten  by  the  dogs.  Occasion¬ 
ally  the  old  ask  to  be  killed.  Then  they  are  taken, 
stupefied  with  drugs,  and,  in  the  midst  of  various 
incantations,  bled  to  death. 

Among  the  Tuski  and  many  of  the  tribes  around 
the  shores  of  Bering’s  Sea,  the  bodies  of  good  men 
are  burned  and  the  ashes  carefully  preserved.  But 
in  some  sections,  where  wood  is  scarce,  the  bodies  of 
women  are  not  considered  worth  the  wood  that 


Confirmation. 


123 


would  be  consumed  in  the  burning,  and  they  are 
either  cast  out,  to  be  consumed  by  the  dogs,  foxes, 
and  crows,  or  cast  into  the  sea  as  food  for  the  fishes. 

Despised  by  their  fathers,  sold  by  their  mothers, 
imposed  upon  by  their  brothers,  ill-treated  by  their 
husbands,  cast  out  in  their  widowhood,  living  lives 
of  toil  and  low  sensual  pleasure,  untaught  and  un¬ 
cared  for,  with  no  true  enjoyment  in  this  world  and 
no  hope  for  the  world  to  come,  crushed  by  a  cruel 
heathenism,  it  is  no  wonder  that  many  of  them  end 
their  earthly  misery  and  wretchedness  with  suicide. 

In  confirmation  of  the  above  dark  picture.  Captain 
Ebenezer  Morgan,  for  many  years  the  Christian  cap¬ 
tain  of  a  whaling  vessel  in  Alaska  waters,  at  a  large 
missionary  meeting  of  ladies  in  New  York  City,  made 
the  following  remarks  : 

“  I  have  read  all  that  my  Brother  Sheldon  Jackson 
has  published  concerning  Alaska,  and  I  know  of 
but  one  mistake  he  makes.  He  does  not  say  enough. 
He  has  not  told  you  one  half  the  degradation  of  those 
Northern  Indians.,  and  I  do  not  know  where  the  suffer¬ 
ing  comes  heavier  than  on  the  women,  who  are  slaves 
and  beasts  of  burden.  These  pictures  our  brother  has 
given  are  not  strong  enough.  You  would  blush  that  the 
human  family  could  be  brought  so  low.  ’  ’ 


ESKIMO  WOMAN  AND  BABE. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


Greek  and  Lutheran  Churches — Preliminary  Steps  Toward  Ameri¬ 
can  Missions. 

“  Lo  !  to  the  wintry  winds  the  pilot  yields 
His  bark  careering  o’er  unfathomed  fields  ' 

Cold  on  his  midnight  watch  the  breezes  blov,’ 

From  wastes  that  slumber  in  eternal  snow, 

And  waft  across  the  waves’  tumultuous  roar 
The  wolf  s  long  howl  from  Oonalaska  s  shore." 

Campbell,  Pleasures  of  Hope. 

On  the  30th  of  June,  1793,  the  Empress  Catharine 
of  Russia  issued  an  Imperial  order  that  missionaries 
should  be  sent  to  her  American  colonies.  In  accord¬ 
ance  with  this  order  eleven  monks  sailed  from 
Ochotsk  for  Kadiak  Island,  in  charge  of  Archiman¬ 
drite  Joasaph,  elder  in  the  Order  of  Augustin  Friars. 

In  1796  Father  Joasaph,  being  made  bishop,  re¬ 
turned  to  Irkutsk  to  receive  consecration.  The  same 
year  the  first  church  building  was  erected  at  Kadiak. 

In  1799  the  newly-consecrated  bishop  and  all  the 
missionaries  but  one  were  shipwrecked  and  lost. 
This  one  monk  remained  alone  in  the  colonies  eleven 
years  before  another  was  sent  to  his  assistance. 

On  December  5th,  1822,  three  more  priests  reached 
the  colonies  in  safety. 


'  y 


* 


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t 


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: 


i 


i  *  •  1 
.  ^ 

IF  ,  -  V 


'Jt  A. 


GREEK  CHURCH — SCHOOLS. 


127 


But  the  one  of  all  others  to  leave  his  impress  upon 
the  Aleuts  was  Innocentius  Veniaminoff,  who  began 
his  labors  at  Unalashka  in  1823.  In  1840  he  was 
made  bishop.  He  was  subsequently  advanced  from 
one  position  to  another  until  he  was  made  Metropo- 
lite  of  Moscow,  the  highest  position  in  the  Greek 
Church.  He  died  in  the  spring  of  1879,  mourned  by 
a  whole  nation.  He  was  the  one  among  all  the 
Russian  priests  to  Alaska  that  has  left  an  untarnished 
reputation  and  seemed  to  possess  the  true  missionary 
spirit.  At  one  time  the  Russian  Greek  Church  had 
seven  missionary  districts  in  Alaska,  with  eleven 
priests  and  sixteen  deacons  ;  and  in  1869  they  . 
claimed  12,140  members. 

The  Russian  Tur  Company  contributed  toward  the 
support  of  the  missions  $6600  annually  ;  I2313.75 
was  received  from  the  Mission  Fund  of  the  Holy 
Synod,  and  $1100  from  the  sale  of  candles  in  the 
church,  making  about  $10,000  annually.  The  bal¬ 
ance  came  from  private  individuals.  From  these 
revenues  the  mission  churches  had  accumulated,  up 
to  i860,  a  surplus  of  $37,500,  which  was  loaned  out  at 
five  per  cent. 

The  first  school  was  established  by  Shelikoff  on 
the  Island  of  Kadiak,  the  pupils  receiving  instruction  ' 
in  the  Russian  language,  arithmetic,  and  religion. 
This  was  about  1792.  A  few  years  later  one  was 
established  in  Sitka.  In  1841  an  ecclesiastical  school 
was  opened  in  Sitka,  which  in  1845  was  raised  to  the 
rank  of  a  seminary. 

But  little  was  taught  in  the  schools  but  the  rites  of 


L. 


f 


128 


LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 


the  Greek  Church  and  the  art  of  reading  tlie  ecclesi¬ 
astical  characters. 

In  i860  a  colonial  school  was  opened,  with  twelve 
students.  In  1862  it  contained  twenty-seven  stu¬ 
dents,  only  one  of  whom  was  a  native. 

In  1839  a  girls’  school  was  established  for  orphans 
and  children  of  the  employes  of  the  Fur  Company  ;  in 
1862  it  had  twenty-two  pupils.  In  1825  a  school  was 
established  on  Unalaska  Island  for  natives  ;  in  i860 
it  had  thirty  boys  and  forty-three  girls.  A  school  at 
Amlia  Island  in  i860  had  thirty  pupils.  A  school- 
house  was  built  on  the  Lower  Yukon,  but  had  no 
pupils. 

Since  the  American  occupation  these  schools  have 
been  suspended. 

During  the  Russian  domination  there  were  many 
Swedes,  Finlanders,  and  Germans  in  the  employ  of 
the  Russian  American  Fur  Company. 

To  provide  for  this  population  a  Lutheran  minister 
was  sent  to  Sitka  in  1845  and  remained  until  1852. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Mr.  Wintec,  who  preached 
in  Swedish  and  German.  He  remained  until  the 
transfer  in  1867,  when,  his  support  being  with¬ 
drawn  by  the  Russian  Government,  he  returned  to 
Europe. 

The  Protestant  churches  of  Russia,  v/hile  allowed 
no  self-governing  and  self-sustaining  organizations, 
are  recognized  under  the  Ministerium  of  Public  In¬ 
struction.  They  have  a  consistorium  for  each  prov¬ 
ince,  and  the  funds  for  salaries,  etc.,  come  direct 
from  the  public  treasury. 

While  the  Lutheran  minister  remained  at  Sitka,  a 


THE  TRANSFER  OF  ALASKA. 


129 


fund  of  several  thousand  dollars  was  accumulated 
for  furnishing  the  church,  etc. 

No  organization  was  made,  and  the  cause  dropped 
out  of  sight  upon  the  final  removal  of  the  minister. 

-  When  in  1867  this  vast  territory,  with  a  popula¬ 
tion  of  from  30,000  to  50,000  souls,  was  turned  over 
to  the  United  States,  the  call  of  God’s  providence 
came  to  the  American  church  to  enter  in  and  possess 
the  land  for  Christ. 

And  in  response  to  that  call  it  was  to  be  expected 
that  the  churches  of  the  United  States,  with  their 
purer  religion  and  greater  consecration,  would  send 
in  more  efficient  agencies  than  Russia  had  done. 
But  ten  years  rolled  around,  and  the  churches  did 
nothing.  Ten  years  passed,  and  hundreds  of  im¬ 
mortal  souls,  who  have  never  so  much  as  heard  that 
there  was  a  Saviour,  were  hurried  to  judgment  from 
a  Christian  land.  Ten  years  came  and  went,  and 
thousands  were  left  to  grow  up  in  ignorance  and 
superstition,  and  form  habits  that  will  keep  them 
away  from  the  gospel,  if  it  is  ever  offered  them. 

It  was  also  to  be  expected  that  the  great  missionary 
societies  of  the  country  would  vie  with  one  another 
which  should  first  unfurl  the  banner  of  the  Gospel  in 
that  land,  but  for  years  nothing  was  done,  and  yet 
the  question  was  not  wholly  lost  sight  of.  It  was 
more  or  less  agitated  by  various  persons  in  different 
denominations  and  widely  separated  sections  of  the 
country. 

Among  others,  the  Rev.  E.  D.  Saunders,  D.D.,  of 
the  Board  of  Domestic  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian  ’ 
Church  (O.  S.),  soon  after  the  purchase,  offered  a 


130 


MISSIONS  PROPOSED. 


resolution  in  his  board  that  they  send  a  missionary 
to  Alaska. 

At  the  same  time  a  similar  proposition  was  dis¬ 
cussed  by  the  Committee  of  Home  Missions  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  (N.  S.). 

At  different  times,  from  1869  to  1877,  the  Rev. 
George  H.  Atkinson,  D.D.,  Superintendent  of  Con¬ 
gregational  Missions  in  the  North-west,  urged  the 
Mission  Board  of  his  denomination  to  undertake  the 
work. 

Major  General  O.  O.  Howard,  U.  S.  A.,  again  and 
again  pressed  the  religious  needs  of  that  section 
upon  the  attention  of  the  country  through  the  news¬ 
papers. 

The  Hon.  Vincent  Colyer,  Secretary  of  the  Board 
of  Indian  Commissioners,  made  a  special  visit  to 
Alaska  in  1869,  and  upon  his  return  sought  to  awaken 
the  public  interest.  He  so  far  succeeded  that  Con¬ 
gress  appropriated  ^50,000  for  educational  purposes. 
But  no  one  was  found  to  administer  the  fund,  and  it 
was  not  used. 

On  my  long  stage  trips,  while  establishing  churches 
thoughout  the  Rocky  Mountain  Territories,  I  had 
often  thought  of  that  distant  section  of  our  country, 
and  the  vague  hope  would  sometimes  cross  my  mind 
that  I  myself  might  yet  be  permitted  to  go  there.  I 
could  not  then  anticipate  the  unexpected  providences 
by  which  afterward  I  became  the  first  Presbyterian 
minister  to  visit  Alaska  in  the  interest  of  missions 
and  commence  the  work  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

I  had  also,  during  the  winter  of  1875  and  1876,  in 
view  of  the  approaching  Centennial,  urged  upon  the 


MISSIONS  URGED. 


I3I 

Board  of  Home  Missions  the  desirability  of  so  ex¬ 
tending  their  work  that  the  Presbyterian  Church 
could  celebrate  the  completion  of  the  first  century  of 
our  national  existence  with  missionaries  in  every 
State  and  Territory,  calling  special  attention  to  Ari¬ 
zona,  Dakota,  and  Alaska. 

To  assist  in  accomplishing  this,  I  made  a  long  and 
dangerous  trip  through  Arizona  in  the  spring  of 
1876,  which  resulted  in  sending  two  ministers  to  that 
Territory. 

During  1876  the  Rev.  Thomas  Crosby,  of  the 
Methodist  Church  of  Canada,  stationed  at  Fort  Simp¬ 
son,  B.  C.,  was  in  active  correspondence  with  the 
Board  of  Missions  of  his  own  church,  also  with  that 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  the  United 
States,  and  with  one  of  the  Presbyterian  Churches  of 
Canada,  pleading  with  them  to  secure  missionaries 
for  Alaska. 

The  Rev.  A.  L.  Lindsley,  D.D.,  corresponded  with 
the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  in  1877, 
with  reference  to  their  undertaking  the  work. 

In  the  spring  of  that  year,  through  Major-General 
Howard,  he  secured  the  position  of  paymaster’s  clerk 
in  the  United  States  Army  for  Mr.  John  C.  Mal¬ 
lory,  of  New  York  City  (who  was  passing  through 
Portland  in  search  of  health  and  a  position),  and  had 
him  sent  north  to  ascertain  and  report  the  condition 
of  affairs.  Mr.  Mallory  was,  however,  so  far  gone  with 
consumption  that 'he  returned  in 'a  few  weeks  and  ac¬ 
cepted  an  Indian  agency  in  Arizona,  where  he  died 
the  20th  of  June,  1878. 

Christian  women,  wives  of  the  army  officers  sta- 


132  MISSIONS  COMMENCED  BY  INDIANS. 


tioned  at  Sitka  and  Wrangell,  were  continually 
writing  to  their  friends  concerning  the  need  of  mis¬ 
sionaries. 

Probably  there  were  many  others  interested  in 
Alaska. 

But  notwithstanding  all  these  movements,  the 
churches  slept  and  mission  boards  waited.  Not  so, 
however,  with  God’s  providence  :  it  never  waits. 

In  the  spring  of  1876  Clah  (Philip  McKay),  Su- 
gah-na-te  (his  brother),  Ta-lik,  John  Ryan,  Lewis 
Ween,  Andrew  Moss,  Peter  Pollard,  George  Pember¬ 
ton,  and  James  Ross,  Tsimpsean  Indians,  went  from 
Fort  Simpson  to  Fort  Wrangell  to  obtain  work. 
They  secured  a  contract  to  cut  wood  for  the  Govern¬ 
ment.  On  Sabbath,  as  was  their  custom,  they  met 
together  for  worship.  This  gathering  of  a  few 
Christian  Indians  was  the  commencement  of  missions 
in  the  Territory. 

They  found  a  protector  and  warm  friend  in  Cap¬ 
tain  S.  P.  Jocelyn,  of  the  21st  U.  S.  Infantry,  who 
was  then  in  command  at  that  station.  He  assisted 
them  in  securing  a  room  for  worship  on  the  Sab¬ 
bath,  and  protected  them  from  interruption. 

He  also  supplied  them  with  some  small  hymn- 
books  that  had  been  sent  to  the  fort  by  the  Ameri¬ 
can  Tract  Society. 

In  September  of  that  year  Rev.  Thomas  Crosby 
visited  Fort  Wrangell  and  held  services.  The  Pres¬ 
byterian  Church  owes  much  to  him  for  his  unselfish 
zeal  and  assistance  at  a  critical  period  in  the  history 
of  the  mission. 

With  the  assistance  of  Captain  Jocelyn,  Mr,  Crosby 


SUBSCRIPTION  FOR  A  CHURCH. 


133 


held  a  meeting  of  whites  and  Indians  to  take  meas¬ 
ures  toward  securing  a  church  and  school  building. 
There  was  a  good  deal  of  enthusiasm,  and  the  In¬ 
dians  made  the  following  subscription  : 


Tribe.  Name.  Amount. 

Stickeen.  Chief  Toy-a-att . $10  00 

“  Jun  Lewy .  5  00 

“  Mrs.  Lewy . 5  00 

“  Miss  Lewy . 5  00 

“  Lewy’s  two  children .  5  00 


Charley  and  wife,  two  blankets,  white  and 


green. 

**  Dick,  one  blanket,  white. 

“  Thos.  Steele,  one  blanket,  white. 

“  Jennie .  5  00 

“  Jennie’s  two  children . 5  00 

“  Mary .  10  00 

“  Billy .  50 

“  Dan .  50 

“  Sarah,  two  blankets,  blue  and  green. 

“  Susan . I  00 

“  Jack .  50 

“  George  Blake .  2  00 

“  Billy  Lewy .  2  co 

Cassiar.  George  .  5  00 

“  George’s  wife .  5  00 

George’s  boy  Sam .  5  00 

Paul  Jones,  Jr .  50 

Tarko.  Pat .  50 

Hydah.  John . i  00 

Tsimpseans.  Harry..., .  i  00 

Louis .  I  00 

“  Thomas .  i  00 

“  George .  i  00 

“  Moss .  I  00 

“  Shaw .  I  00 


134 


SUBSCRIPTION  FOR  A  CHURCH 


Tribe.  Name.  Amount. 

Tsimpseans.  Philip .  $i  oo 

“  Nelly  Miller .  50 

William  Dickinson .  25 

Clawock.  George . . 50 

“  Mary  Ann .  i  50 

“  Sarah  M.  Dickinson .  25 

Sitka.  Kate, . I  cx) 

“  William  Stephens,  Jr .  50 


HOUSE  OF  THE  WIDOW  OF  SKILLAT,  THE  FORMER  CHIEF,  AT 

WRANGELL,  ALASKA. 


In  addition  to  the  money  and  blankets,  they  also 
agreed  to  do  much  of  the  work. 

Mr.  I.  C.  Dennis,  the  Collector  of  the  Port,  con¬ 
sented  to  act  as  treasurer.  He  afterward  turned 
over  the  funds  to  Mr.  J.  M.  Vanderbilt,  who  in  turn 
gave  them  to  Rev.  Mr.  Young  for  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  1879. 


SCHOOL  AND  PREACHING. 


135 


Mr.  Crosby  agreed  to  look  after  the  mission  until 
some  American  missionary  should  come  and  assume 
the  control. 

Accordingly,  when  the  young  men  at  the  close  of 
their  contract  in  the  fall  would  return  to  Fort  Simp¬ 
son,  he  directed  Clah  to  remain  and  open  a  day 
school  and  conduct  the  Sabbath  services.  Lewis  Ween 
and  George  Pemberton  secured  positions  at  Wran¬ 
gell  and  assisted  Clah  on  the  Sabbath.  So  anxious 
were  the  natives  to  learn,  that  the  school  was  at¬ 
tended  by  sixty  or  seventy  adults.  And  three  times  on 
the  Sabbath  he  preached  to  audiences  of  from  200  to 
400  of  his  own  people.  This  subjected  these  Tsimp- 
sean  Christians  to  much  ridicule  from  the  Americans, 
and  threats  of  violence  from  the  Indian  sorcerers. 
But  they  persevered,  and  the  meetings  increased  in 
interest  and  numbers.  A  few  Americans  attended  to 
ridicule,  but  more  were  attracted  by  the  sight  of  un¬ 
lettered  Indians  singing,  praying,  and  explaining  the 
Scriptures  with  power.  Prayerless  white  men  were 
reminded  of  early  religious  training.  The  Holy 
Spirit  was  at  work  among  the  natives,  and  forty  of 
them  gave  up  their  heathenism  and  came  out  upon 
the  Lord’s  side,  while  many  others  renounced  their 
devil  dances,  their  witchcraft,  and  other  heathen  prac¬ 
tices. 

A  soldier  at  the  post,  not  himself  a  Christian, 
wrote  the  following  letter  to  Major-General  Howard, 
asking  that  some  church  might  be  persuaded  to  send 
a  minister  to  guide  this  movement  and  teach  these 
new  converts  more  perfectly  the  way  : 


136 


AN  APPEAL  FOR  HELP. 


“  Dear  Sir  :  I  write  you  in  behalf  of  the  Indians 
in  this  section  of  Alaska,  hoping  that  you  may  be  able 
and  willing  to  assist  these  poor  creatures  in  their  en¬ 
deavors  to  learn  more  of  the  good  Saviour,  of  whom 
they  have  learned  but  recently. 

“  About  last  June  a  party  of  Indians  from  Fort 
Simpson,  British  Columbia,  arrived  at  Wrangell  and 
instituted  a  series  of  meetings  for  divine  worship. 
The  Stickeens  and  other  tribes  here  really  knew 
nothing  about  Christianity.  They  soon  became  in¬ 
terested  in  the  proceedings  of  their  Christian  visit¬ 
ors;  and  a  few,  after  many  inquiries,  concluded  to 
try  the  ‘  new  life  ’  of  w'hich  they  had  heard.  Since 
then  the  few  have  become  a  hundred,  and  the  tribe 
are  asking  for  a  Christian  teacher,  for  some  one  to 
explain  to  them  more  fully  the  way. 

“  Rev.  Mr.  Crosby,  of  P'ort  Simpson,  came  here 
last  fall  and  did  noble  work  for  a  few  days,  but  his 
own  mission  demanded  his  presence,  and  he  could 
only  leave  two  young  men  (Indians)  of  his  church 
to  continue  the  work.  It  has  been  manfully  carried 
on  during  the  winter,  and  could  you,  gentlemen,  be 
present  during  some  of  their  services,  I  know  your 
hearts  would  go  out  to  them  at  the  earnestness  of 
their  prayers  and  their  intense  mental  struggles  be¬ 
tween  the  prejudices  of  their  tribal  teachings  and  the 
new  doctrines  of  Christianity.  They  are  poor  finan¬ 
cially,  and  while  their  country  is  unfitted  for  any¬ 
thing  like  agriculture,  the  waters  are  rich  in  fish, 
and  the  land  full  of  game  and  heavily  covered  with 
timber.  Since  the  advent  of  traders  and  miners 
among  them,  lewdness  and  debauchery  have  held 


A  REMARKABLE  LETTER. 


137 


high  carnival,  and  the  decimation  of  their  numbers 
is  the  result.  If  a  school  and  mission  were  estab¬ 
lished  at  Wrangell  there  would  no  doubt  an  Indian 
population  of  over  1000  souls  locate  within  reach  of 
its  benefits.  And  one  whole-souled,  energetic  worker 
here  could  sow  seed  that  would  bear  fruit  from  Brit¬ 
ish  Columbia  to  Bering’s  Straits. 

“  These  Indians  have  patriotic  ideas,  are  proud  to 
call  themselves  ‘  Boston  Siwashes  ’  (United  States 
Indians),  and  glory  in  the  possession  of  a  ‘  star- 
spangled  banner.’  But  they  feel  bad  -when  they 
'  learn  how  much  better  off  than  themselves  are  the 
Indians  of  British  Columbia.  Schools  and  churches 
abound  among  the  British  Indians,  so  that  nearly 
all  of  them  can  read  and  write,  and  appear  to  better 
advantage  than  their  neighbors  in  Alaska.  This  fact 
speaks  much  for  the  Christian  people  of  Canada,  and 
little  for  those  of  our  own  Republic,  who  yearly  send 
so  much  to  convert  the  heathen  in  other  lands,  while 
they  allow  our  own  countrymen,  who  certainly  are 
just  as  deserving,  to  go  down  to  the  lowest  hell. 

“  I  am  not  a  church  member,  but  am  making 
this  appeal  for  these  poor  people  from  the  dictates 
of  a  heart  that  I  trust  may  never  be  deaf  to  the  cry 
for  help  from  the  heathen.  Can  you  not,  will  you 
not,  make  it  your  business  to  build  up  and  foster 
this  mission  to  Alaska  ?  A  number  of  men  could  be 
employed  advantageously,  but  one  whole-souled 
man  can  do  much  and  pave  the  way  for  doing  more. 
Send  out  a  shepherd  who  may  reclaim  a  mighty  flock 
from  the  error  of  their  ways  and  gather  them  to  the 
true  fold,  the  Master  of  which  said  ;  ‘  Feed  my 


138  APPOINTMENT  OF  A  MISSIONARY. 


sheep.’  I  hope  that  this  letter  may  be  considered  in 
all  charity,  blemishes  excluded. 

“  And  now,  with  faith  in  the  justness  of  the  cause 
for  which  I  plead  so  feebly,  I  leave  the  matter  in 
your  hands,  trusting  that  a  brighter  day  may  soon 
dawn  for  the  poor  benighted  natives  of  Alaska. 

“  Yours  sincerely. 

This  letter  was  placed  in  my  hands  at  the  General 
Assembly  of  1877  at  Chicago.  I  immediately  pub¬ 
lished  it  in  the  Chicago  Tribune^  and  soon  after  in 
the  leading  Presbyterian  newspapers.  I  also  sent  a 
copy  to  the  Board  of  Home  Missions,  with  an  urgent 
appeal  for  action. 

The  board  responded  at  its  first  meeting  (June, 
1877)  by  appointing  Rev.  Francis  -H.  Robinson  as 
missionary  to  Alaska,  but  before  he  received  his 
commission  he  had  accepted  an  invitation  to  a  church 
in  California. 

Returning  from  the  General  Assembly,  I  was  sent 
by  the  secretaries  of  the  Board  of  Home  Missions 
on  a  special  mission  tour  through  Idaho,  Eastern 
Oregon,  and  Eastern  Washington.  Arriving  at 
Walla  Walla,  I  found  the  whole  section  agitated  by 
the  outbreak  of  Chief  Joseph’s  band  of  Nez  Perces, 
and  the  exposed  settlers  fleeing  from  their  homes. 
This  condition  of  things  was  so  unfavorable  to  mis¬ 
sion  work  that  I  was  able  to  extend  my  trip  to 
Alaska. 

Upon  reaching  Portland  and  consulting  with  Dr. 
Lindsley  and  other  ministers  of  that  section,  my 
purpose  to  visit  Alaska  was  warmly  approved. 


MRS.  MCFARLAND. 


139 


I  also  found  at  Portland  an  old  missionary  friend, 
Mrs.  A.  R.  McFarland,  who  was  waiting  my  arrival 
to  consult  with  regard  to  future  work. 

Born  in  Virginia,  Mrs.  McFarland  was  educated  at 
Steubenville,  Ohio.  Upon  her  marriage  she  accom¬ 
panied  her  husband  to  Illinois,  where  they  spent  ten 
years  in  home  mission  work.  In  1867  they  were  sent 
to  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico,  the  first  Presbyterian  mis¬ 
sionaries  to  that  Territory. 

While  in  that  field  she  crossed  the  plains  from  the 
Missouri  River  to  Santa  Fe  in  a  stage-coach  several 
times.  Upon  one  occasion,  for  twelve  days  and 
nights  she  was  the  only  woman  in  the  coach,  and  a 
portion  of  the  way  they  were  pursued  by  the  wild 
Indians  of  the  plains.  Through  many  dangers  and 
trials  she  has  been  prepared  for  frontier  work. 

In  1873  they  went  to  Southern  California  for  Mr. 
McFarland’s  health.  This  improving,  and  wishing 
to  re-enter  the  mission  field,  they  accepted  posi¬ 
tions  among  the  Nez  Perces  in  1875.  Hard  work 
and  a  severe  climate  again  laid  Mr.  McFarland 
aside,  and  in  May,  1876,  he  laid  down  the  cross  to 
take  up  his  crown.  Unable  to  endure  the  feeling  of 
desolation  and  loneliness,  Mrs.  McFarland,  in  Janu¬ 
ary,  1877,  removed  to  Portland,  Oregon.  But  her 
missionary  spirit  could  not  be  satisfied  there,  and 
she  was  waiting  with  prayerful  anxiety  my  arrival  to 
apply  for  a  new  field. 

It  was  soon  determined  that  she  should  accompany 
me  -to  Alaska, 


i 

I 


CHAPTER  V. 


The  Commencement  of  Presbyterian  Missions  in  Alaska — Mrs. 

A.  R.  McFarland — Her  Varied  Duties — Sickness  and  Death  of 

Clah — Christmas  Welcome. 

“  Shores  of  the  utmost  West, 

Ye  that  have  waited  long, 

Unvisited,  unblest, 

Break  forth  to  swelling  song  ; 

High  raise  the  note  that  Jesus  died. 

Yet  lives  and  reigns  the  Crucified.” 

On  the  loth  of  August,  1877,  Mrs.  McFarland  and 
myself  reached  Fort  Wrangel  and  commenced  Pres¬ 
byterian  missions  in  Alaska. 

Upon  landing  and  passing  down  the  street,  I  saw 
an  Indian  ringing  a  bell.  It  was  the  call  for  the 
afternoon  school.  About  twenty  pupils  were  in  at¬ 
tendance,  mostly  young  Indian  women.  Two  or 
three  boys  were  present  ;  also  a  mother  and  her  three 
little  children.  As  the  women  took  their  seats  on 
the  rough  plank  benches,  each  one  bowed  her  head 
in  silent  prayer,  seeking  divine  help  on  her  studies. 
Soon  a  thoughtful  Indian  man  of  about  thirty  years  of 
age  came  in  and  took  his  seat  behind  the  rude  desk. 
It  was  Clah,  the  teacher.  The  familiar  hymn,  “  What 
a  friend  we  have  in  Jesus,”  was  sung  in  English  ; 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH — THE  MCFARLAND  INDUSTRIAL  HOME  AND  VILLAGE  OF  FORT  WRANGELL,  ALASKA. 


N 


^  * 


r 


t 

§r-' 


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I 


INDIAN  SCHOOL.  143 

a  prayer  followed  in  the  Chinook  jargon,^  closing 
with  the  repetition  in  concert  of  the  Lord’s  Prayer 
in  English.  After  lessons  were  studied  and  recited, 
the  school  arose,  sung  the  long-metre  doxology,  and 
recited  in  concert  the  benediction.  Then  the  teacher 
said,  “  Good  afternoon,  my  pupils,”  to  which  came 
the  kindly  response,  ”  Good  afternoon,  teacher.” 

As  upon  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  more  lately  in 
Old  Mexico,  so  here  God  had  opened  the  work  in 
advance  of  the  coming  of  the  usual  missionary  appli¬ 
ances. 

The  mission  school  was  in  full  operation,  but 
under  great  difficulties. 

They  met  around  in  the  several  Indian  houses,  not 
always  knowing  one  day  where  they  would  meet  the 
next.  But  the  ringing  of  a  small  hand-bell  indicated 
the  school-room  for  the  day.  At  the  time  of  my 
visit  they  were  using  a  dance-hall.  Upon  the  return 
of  the  miners  in  the  fall  the  school  was  turned  out  of 
the  hall  and  found  refuge  in  an  old  log  building. 

There  was  a  great  scarcity  of  school-books  and 
appliances.  I  found  the  stock  inventoried  as  fol¬ 
lows  :  Four  small  Bibles,  four  hymn-books,  three 
primers,  thirteen  first  readers,  and  one  wall  chart. 
”  These  people,”  remarked  a  sailor,  ”  are  crazy  to 
learn.  Going  up  the  beach  last  night  I  heard  an 
Indian  girl  spelling  words  of  one  and  two  syllables. 
Looking  in  I  found  that,  unable  to  procure  a  school- 

*  Chinook  jargon  is  a  language  composed  of  French,  Canadian, 
English,  and  Indian  words,  and  was  used  by  the  Hudson  Bay  Fur 
Company  in  their  trade  with  the  various  Indian  tribes.  A  Chi¬ 
nook  and  English  dictionary  has  been  published. 


144 


MISSIONARY  MEETINGS. 


book,  she  was  learning  from  a  scrap  of  newspaper 
she  had  picked  up.” 

Arranging  for  the  work,  I  returned  to  the  East, 
leaving  Mrs.  McFarland  in  charge  as  teacher  and 
Clah  as  native  assistant  teacher,  and  Mrs.  Sarah 
Dickinson,  a  Christian  Tongas  Indian,  as  interpret¬ 
er.  When  we  reached  Wrangel  this  woman  was  a 
hundred  miles  up  the  Stickeen  River  gathering  her 
winter  supply  of  berries.  Learning  from  a  passing 
steamer  that  the  missionaries  had  come,  she  placed 
her  children,  bedding,  and  provisions  in  her  canoe, 
and  paddled’  home,  against  heavy  head  winds,  to 
give  us  a  welcome. 

During  that  fall  and  winter  I  published  a  lengthy 

series  of  newspaper  articles  and  made  public  ad- 

« 

dresses  in  New  York  City,  Philadelphia,  Washing¬ 
ton,  and  the  other  principal  cities  of  the  North, 
creating  such  an  interest  in  Alaska  that  special  funds 
have  been  sent  in,  from  October,  1877,  to  December, 
1879,  aggregating  over  ^12,000.  This  enabled  the 
Board  of  Home  Missions  to  carry  on  the  work  in 
that  section  without  drawing  from  the  general  mis¬ 
sionary  treasury. 

I  also  addressed  the  students  at  the  theological 
seminaries,  and  secured  the  appointment,  by  the 
Board  of  Home  Missions,  of  Rev.  John  G.  Brady,  of 
Union  Theological  Seminary,  for  Sitka,  Alaska  ; 

'  Rev.  S.  Hall  Young,  of  Allegheny  Theological  Sem¬ 
inary,  for  Fort  Wrangell,  and  Rev.  George  W.  Gal¬ 
lagher,  of  Princeton  Theological  Seminary.  Mr. 
Gallagher  was  afterward  transferred  to  the  Utah 
field. 


A  REMARKABLE  WOMAN.  I47 

Later  I  secured  the  appointment  of  Miss  Maggie  J. 
Dunbar,  of  Steubenville,  Ohio,  as  teacher  at  Fort 
Wrangell,  and  still  later  that  of  Rev.  G.  W.  Lyons, 
who  was  commissioned  by  the  board  in  January, 
1880,  for  Sitka. 

During  the  same  winter  I  had  a  hearing  before 
several  committees  of  Congress  in  behalf  of  a  gov¬ 
ernment  for  Alaska. 

Mrs.  McFarland  entered  upon  her  work  with  great 
earnestness  and  wisdom.  Her  matured  Christian 
experience  and  her  eventful  life  on  the  frontier  had 
eminently  prepared  her  for  the  responsible  and  won¬ 
derful  work  she  was  now  entering  upon.  It  will 
be  borne  in  mind  at  that  time  she  was  the  only 
Christian  white  woman  in  Wrangell,  that  she  was 
for  seven  months  the  only  Protestant  missionary  in 
Alaska,  and  for  twelve  months  the  only  one  at  Fort 
Wrangell. 

It  will  also  be  noticed  that  all  the  perplexities,  po¬ 
litical,  religious,  physical,  and  moral,  of  the  native 
population  were  brought  to  her  for  solution,  and 
that  her  arbitration  was  universally  accepted.  If 
any  were  sick,  they  came  to  her  as  a  physician  ;  if  any 
were  dead,  she  was  called  upon  to  take  charge  of 
the  funeral.  If  husbands  and  wives  became  sepa¬ 
rated,  she  was  the  peacemaker  to  settle  their  diffi¬ 
culties.  If  difficulties  arose  as  to  property,  she  was 
judge,  lawyer,  and  jury.  If  feuds  arose  among  the 
small  tribes  or  families,  she  was  arbiter.  And  when 
the  Christian  Indians  called  a  constitutional  conven¬ 
tion,  she  was  elected  chairman.  She  was  called  upon 
to  interfere  in  cases  of  witchcraft  ;  and  when  the  Vig- 


IN  THE  SCHOOL-ROOM. 


148 

ilance  Committee  would  hang  a  white  man  for  mur¬ 
der,  she  was  sent  for  to  act  as  his  spiritual  adviser. 
Her  fame  also  went  out  far  and  wide  among  the 
tribes.  'Great  chiefs  left  their  hpmes  and  people  and 
came  long  distances  to  enter  the  school  of  “  the 
woman  that  loved  their  people,”  or  to  plead  that 
teachers  might  be  sent  to  their  tribes.  She  had 
charge  of  both  school  and  church./  During  this  try¬ 
ing  period  she  was  greatly  assisted  by  the  counsel 
and  substantial  aid  of  Mr.  John  M.  Vanderbilt,  the 
leading  merchant,  and  Mr.  I.  C.  Dennis,  Collector 
of  the  Port. 

The  history  of  her  work  cannot  better  be  made 
known  than  by  giving  her  monthly  letters  to  the 
Rocky  Mountain  Fresbyterian,  an  illustrated  Home 
Missionary  journal. 

“  Fort  Wrangell,  Alaska,  Sept.  loth,  1877. 

“  Rev.  Sheldon  Jackson,  D.D. 

”  Dear  Brother  :  I  went  into  the  school-room 
the  morning  after  you  left,  and  have  become  very 
much  interested  in  the  school.  It  now  averages 
thirty  scholars.  I  have  had  as  high  as  thirty-eight 
some  days.  They  all  seem  very  anxious  to  learn. 
Clah  studies  in  the  forenoon.  He  and  Mrs.  Dick¬ 
inson  are  in  a  class  together.  They  study  reading, 
spelling,  geography,  and  writing.  I  ,go  at  nine 
o’clock  and  remain  until  one.  Then  Clah  has  a 
short  session  in  the  afternoon.  I  am  teaching  the 
whole  school  the  multiplication  table  in  unison. 
Clah  is  much  pleased  to  learn  it.  They  have  gotten 
the  second  and  third  lines  perfectly.  Since  .  Mrs. 


VISITING  THE  SICK. 


151 

Dickinson  came  home,  Clah  preaches  in  Tsimpsean, 
and  Mrs.  D.  interprets  his  sermon  into  Stickeen. 

“  He  preaches  with  much  more  ease  in  Chinook 
than  he  does  in  his  own  language,  but  it  seems  that 
many  of  the  old  people  do  not  understand  the 
Chinook. 

“  Clah’s  wife  came  up  on  the  steamer.  She  is 
quite  good-looking,  rather  dignified  and  reserved. 
She  does  not  speak  a  word  of  English.  He  seems 
quite  proud  of  her. 

“  Two  weeks  ago  last  Saturday  I  was  sent  for  to 
see  a  sick  man.  He  belonged  to  the  Hydah  tribe, 
and  was  thought  to  be  dying,  having  just  had  a  se¬ 
vere  hemorrhage.  No  wonder  he  felt  like  dying. 
Upon  reaching  the  house  I  found  sixty-five  people  in 
the  room,  with  a  big  fire  in  the  centre.  I  asked  him, 
through  the  interpreter,  if  I  could  do  anything  for 
him.  He  replied  that  he  wanted  me  to  pray  for 
him,  and  when  he  died  that  I  would  see  him  buried 
like  a  white  man.  He  said  that  he  had  heard  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  that  he  believed  in  him.  At 
another  visit  he  urged  me  to  teach  all  Indians  to 
pray.  He  wanted  me  to  sing.  I  sang  ‘  There  is  a 
fountain  filled  with  blood,’  and  endeavored  to  ex¬ 
plain  the  meaning  of  the  words  to  him.  In  a  few 
days  he  was  better,  and  his  friends  took  him  home. 

I  do  not  know  whether  they  will  carry  out  his  wish 
for  a  Christian  burial.  Several  chiefs  have  been  to 
see  me.  They  are  all  very  anxious  to  have  a  ‘  white . 
man  preacher  come,’  and  to  have  a  ‘  church  house 
like  Fort  Simpson  ’  (the  mission  station  of  the 
Methodists  in  British  Columbia). 


152 


A  HOME  FOR  GIRLS. 


“  Last  week  I  had  a  prominent  chief  cd  the  Takou 
tribe  to  see  me.  He  seemed  to  be  a  very  sensible 
man,  and  expressed  great  anxiety  to  have  a  school 
for  his  people. 

“  Our  school-room  has  been  rented  for  a  dance- 
house,  and  will  be  taken  from  us  by  the  15th  of  the 
month.  I  went  to  see  the  house  that  belonged  to 
Matthew,  but  it  would  not  answer.  I  have  since 
secured  an  old  log  house,  which  the  owner  has  agreed 
to  repair  and  rent  us  for  ^20  per  month.  I  have 
rented  the  little  house  back  of  Mr.  Lear’s  store  to 
live  in.  It  was  the  very  best  I  could  do. 

“  I  am  exceedingly  anxious  to  have  a  room  fur¬ 
nished  as  soon  as  possible,  where  I  can  take  any 
young  girls  that  may  have  a  disposition  to  do  right. 
Such  an  one  recently  came  and  wanted  to  stay  with 
me.  She  was  bright  and  smart,  and  talked  English 
well,  but  I  was  not  so  situated  that  I  could  take  her. 
When  I  next  heard  of  her  she  was  living  with  a  white 
man.  I  hope  I  will  have  sufficient  aid  to  offer  a 
home  to  such  cases  when  they  present  themselves. 
I  believe  I  could  have  saved  that  girl  if  I  could  have 
offered  her  a  home.  Yours  truly, 

“  A.  R.  McFarland.” 

“  Fort  Wrangell,  Alaska,  Oct.  nth,  1877. 

‘‘  Dear  Brother  :  I  rejoice  to  write  that  I  am 
now  moved  and  in  my  own  house.  I  find  this  little 
house  very  comfortable — much  more  so  than  seemed 
possible,  with  so  little  to  fix  it  with.  The  people 
have  been  very  kind  in  helping  me  move. 

”  Clah  has  moved  into  Matthew’s  house.  His  wife 


THE  PEACEMAKER. 


153 


comes  to  school  now.  I  was  surprised  to  find  that  she 
does  not  know  her  A  B  C’s.  I  asked  Clah  how  long 
they  had  been  married.  He  replied,  ‘  My  father  gave 
me  Annie  when  I  was  a  little  boy,  for  a  present,  and  I 
have  lived  with  her  ever  since.’  Matthew  comes  to 
school,  and  is  very  anxious  to  learn.  He  says,  ‘  Me 
want  to  learn  quick,  so  me  can  read  the  Bible  all  the 
time.  ’  I  had  a  funny  experience  with  him  last  week. 
He  and  his  wife  had  quarrelled,  and  had  not  lived 
together  for  almost  a  year.  She  is  one  of  my  best 
scholars,  and  I  saw  that  she  was  in  great  trouble.  I 
found  she  wanted  to  go  back  to  her  husband.  So  I 
brought  Matthew  home  with  me  one  day  and  had  a 
long  talk  with  him.  He  said  that  he  and  his  wife 
had  lived  together  very  happily  for  ten  years.  But 
last  fall  some  people  told  him  that  she  was  a  bad 
woman,  and  that  if  he  was  a  Christian  he  ought  not 
to  live  with  her.  I  answered  him,  that  although  his 
wife  may  have  done  some  wrong  things,  yet  if  he 
was  a  Christian  he  ought  to  forgive  her — that  he  had 
no  right  to  ask  God  to  forgive  him  if  he  could  not 
forgive  his  wife.  He  went  away  very  thoughtful. 
The  next  day  he  came  back  in  great  trouble,  saying 
he  had  not  been  able  to  sleep  all  night.  He  wanted 
me  to  see  his  wife.  So  I  appointed  a  meeting  for 
the  next  day,  when  we  would  ail  be  present  ;  also 
another  man  and  wife  who  had  come  to  me  with 
their  troubles.  The  two  couples  came  at  the  ap¬ 
pointed  time.  I  had  Clah  and  Mrs.  Dickinson  pres¬ 
ent.  I  made  it  a  religious  meeting,  and  as  solemn 
as  possible.  After  each  one  had  told  their  griev¬ 
ances,  I  summed  up  with  the  necessity  of  mutual 


154 


SICKNESS-  OF  CLAH. 


forbearance — that  they  should  forgive  one  another, 
try  to  be  happy  together,  and  live  as  Christians 
should.  This  they  agreed  to,  and  went  away  satis¬ 
fied,  and  are  seemingly  doing  well  since.  This  is 
new  work  for  me. 

“I  do  hope  that  we  shall  get  a  minister  soon 
to  attend  to  such  cases  as  this.  I  do  not  know 
that  I  am  very  wise  about  some  things,  but  I  try  to 
do  the  best  I  can,  seeking  help  from  above.  There 
is  a  very  aggravated  case  here  of  one  of  our  school¬ 
girls.  If  I  can  get  her  away  I  will  bring  her  to  my 
house.  Pray  for  me  that  I  may  have  wisdom  to  do 
what  is  right  about  all  these  things.  I  hope  there 
may  be  money  furnished  me  from  some  source  to 
offer  a  home  in  such  cases,  where  it  may  seem  wise 
to  do  so. 

“  We  now  hold  the  school  in  the  old  log  house, 
but  it  is  too  small  and  cold.  I  had  to  purchase  the 
lumber  for  the  seats. 

“  The  Roman  Catholics  had  sent  to  Europe  for  a 
priest  for  this  place,  so  that  if  I  had  not  come  when  I 
did  they  would  have  had  the  field.  They  expected  to 
have  commenced  this  fall.  There  has  a  little  leaven  of 
Catholicism  already  crept  in.  I  have  had  to  remon¬ 
strate  with  some  of  them  about  the  confessional.” 

“  October  15th,  1877. 

”  I  have  very  sad  news  to  write.  Our  dear  Clah 
is  very  sick — nigh  unto  death.  Night  before  last  an 
Indian  came  after  me,  saying  that  Clah  was  dying 
and  wanted  to  see  me  right  away.  I  dressed  and 
went  as  quickly  as  I  could,  and  found  that  he  had 


THE  SEWING-SCHOOL. 


155 


been  suddenly  taken  with  a  severe  hemorrhage.  1 
feared  that  he  would  not  live  until  morning.  To¬ 
day  he  seems  better,  but  has  bad  symptoms.  I  asked 
him  that  first  night  whether  he  was  willing  to  go  if 
it  should  be  the  Lord’s  will.  He  replied  that  he 
would  like  to  have  seen  a  minister  here  first,  but 
that  it  was  all  right.  The  Indians  are  very  much 
distressed  about  his  being  sick.” 

“  October  19. 

”  Clah  has  had  no  return  of  the  bleeding,  but  is 
very  feeble,  and  to-day  I  find  his  hands  and  feet 
swollen  very  much.  I  also  found  Mrs.  Dickinson 
very  sick  in  bed  with  a  severe  cold.  So  you  see  how 
full  my  hands  are. 

”  There  have  been  three  young  men  here  from 
Fort  Simpson  attending  school.  One  of  them  is  a 
preacher,  but  he  can  only  preach  in  his  own  lan¬ 
guage,  and  now  that  Mrs.  Dickinson  is  sick  and  there 
is  no  one  to  interpret  for  him,  I  do  not  know  how 
we  shall  get  along. 

”  The  Indians  came  flocking  in  yesterday  upon  the 
arrival  of  the  steamer  to  Know  whether  there  was 
‘  any  word  about  a  white  man  preacher  coming.’ 

”  The  women  and  girls  come  to  my  house  three 
afternoons  in  the  week  for  a  sewing-school.  This, 
with  being  in  day-school,  visiting  the  sick,  and  at¬ 
tending  to  my  household  duties,  keeps  me  very  busy. 

“Yours  truly,  A.  R.  McFarland.” 

“  Fort  Wrangell,  Alaska,  Nov.  loth,  1877. 

“  Dear  Brother  :  My  hands  are  so  full,  and  I 
feel  so  exhausted  when  evening  comes,  that  it  is  an 


156 


NEED  FOR  A  MINISTER. 


effort  for  me  to  write.  Clah  is  still  sick,  but  seems 
to  be  improving  slowly.  He  looks  very  badly,  but 
is  quite  cheerful.  I  asked  him  if  he  did  not  feel 
more  encouraged  about  getting  well.  He  said,  ‘  I 
don’t  know.  If  Jesus  makes  my  wind  strong,  all 
right.  Me  get  up  and  preach.  Jesus  make  my 
wind  (breath)  stop,  all  right,  me  die.’ 

“  I  have  three  other  sick  ones  on  my  hands.  The 
boys  from  Fort  Simpson  have  all  gone  home  but 
one.  I  kept  Andrew  to  do  the  preaching  until  Clah 
gets  better.  I  feel  so  anxious  for  a  minister  to  come 
for  many  reasons.  One  is,  there *are  some  young 
Indians  here  who  wish  very  much  to  get  married. 
I  am  also  hopeful  that  some  of  the  white  men  would 
marry  the  girls  they  are  living  with  if  there  was  a 
minister  here.  And  it  will  make  a  great  change  for 
the  better. 

“  I  had  a  letter  from  Mr.  Crosby,  sending  the 
church  certificate  of  Clah  and  his  wife  and  express¬ 
ing  a  great  deal  of  interest  in  the  work  here.  Mrs. 
Dickinson,  my  interpreter,  continues  very  zealous 
and  faithful. 

“  I  had  a  Hydah  man  come  into  my  school  to¬ 
day.  He  looks  to  be  about  forty-five  years  old.  He 
says  he  came  here  to  go  to  school,  so  that  he  can  go 
back  and  teach  his  own  people.  He  did  not  know 
the  first  letter  of  the  alphabet.  Yesterday  a  chief 
by  the  name  of  Hotchcox  came  to  school.  He  said 
he  was  from  Buffalo  Island,  and  wanted  to  talk  with 
me.  He  was  a  remarkably  fine-looking  man,  and  I 
felt  that  if  the  Christians  of  the  East  who  have  abun¬ 
dant  means,  could  have  seen  him  with  the  teais  run- 


THE  APPEAL  OF  A  HEATHEN  CHIEF. 


157 


ning  down  his  face,  and  heard  what  he  said,  there 
would  be  no  lack  of  money  to  carry  on  the  work  in 
Alaska.  Laying  his  hand  upon  his  heart,  he  says, 
‘  Me  much  sick  heart.  You  come  teach  all  Stickeens, 
all  Hydahs,  all  Tongas  about  God.  My  people  all 
dark  heart.  Nobody  tell  them  that  Jesus  died.  By 
and  bye  all  my  people  die  (pointing  down),  go  down, 
down,  dark.’  He  was  completely  overcome.  Oh, 
how  my  heart  ached.  I  tried  to  comfort  him  by  tell¬ 
ing  him  that  we  hoped  to  be  able  to  send  preachers 
and  teachers  to  all  these  people  soon. 

“  My  sewing-school  is  getting  along  nicely,  and  I 
hope  will  be  productive  of  much  good.  The  women 
and  girls  are  delighted  with  coming  to  my  house  to 
work,  and  to  have  me  assist  them  with  their  sewing. 
We  take  a  verse  of  Scripture,  and  while  at  work  they 
memorize  it,  and  I  try  to  make  them  understand  its 
meaning.  I  try  to  give  them  the  right  ideas  about  a 
great  many  other  things.  Then  we  close  with  sing¬ 
ing  and  prayer.  I  would  be  glad  if  there  was  some 
person  to  take  the  school  off  my  hands  that  I  might 
devote  my  whole  time  to  this  kind  of  work.  You 
know  how  much  need  there  is  of  it.  As  I  am  now 
situated,  I  cannot  attend  to  the  sick  as  I  would  like. 
I  think  I  am  a  very  strong  woman  (physically),  yet  I 
have  realized  many  times  of  late  that  I  am  not  made 
of  iron.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vanderbilt  ai*e  very  kind  to 
me  indeed. 

“  Since  writing  the  above  there  has  been  an  oc¬ 
currence  which,  while  it  does  not  amount  to  much 
in  itself,  yet  has  made  some  excitement  among  this 
superstitious  people.  It  seems  that  a  young  Indian 


158 


THE  DREAMER. 


by  the  name  of  Johnson  went  with  his  father  some 
distance  to  cut  wood.  While  encamped  there  he  had 
a  wonderful  dream.  Upon  his  return  he  narrated 
the  dream  at  an  evening  meeting.  He  dreamed  that 
he  died  and  went  to  heaven.  He  stood  at  the  side  of 
the  gate  and  saw  all  the  school  Indians  come  up. 
The  keeper  allowed  some  of  them  to  pass  in,  but 
others  were  kept  out.  He  said  that  they  were  good 
people,  but  that  they  had  been  living  in  sin — because 
they  had  never  been  married  to  those  with  whom 
they  were  living.  There  was  much  more  to  his 
dream,  and  it  has  created  great  consternation.  A 
number  who  have  had  no  opportunity  of  getting 
married  after  the  American  way  are  very  much 
troubled,  and  are  more  anxious  that  a  minister  may 
come  quickly,  who  can  marry  them. 

“  Yours  truly,  A.  R.  McFarland.” 

On  Friday,  December  28th,  1877,  Clah,  whose  Eng¬ 
lish  name  was  Philip  McKay,  died  with  consump¬ 
tion,  aged  thirty  years.  When  the  preaching  of  the 
Gospel  was  commenced  among  the  Tsimpseans  at 
Fort  Simpson,  by  some  converted  Indians  from  Vic¬ 
toria,  Clah  was  among  the  first  to  believe  and  be 
baptized.  Giving  himself  faithfully  to  the  study  of 
the  Bible  and  the  advantages  of  the  mission  school, 
he  made  such  rapid  advances  that  he  was  stationed 
at  Wrangell  in  1876. 

Upon  my  first  visit  he  was  teaching  the  day-school 
six  days  in  the  week,  holding  prayer-meetings  Tues¬ 
day  and  Friday  evenings,  and  preaching  three  times 
QH  the  Sabbath.  Though  not  understanding  a  word 


CLAH  (PHILIP  MCKAY), 


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AN  INDIAN  EVANGELIST. 


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of  his  sermons,  yet  I  was  greatly  impressed  with  his 
earnest  and  yet  dignified  and  easy  delivery  in 
preaching.  During  his  first  year  in  preaching  he 
mostly  lived  on  fish.  Fish  for  breakfast,  dinner  and 
supper,  month  after  month  ;  and  now  and  then,  when 
fresh  fish  was  scarce,  he  had  smoked  fish  for  a 
change.  His  salary  of  ^lo  a  month  would  not  admit 
of  any  luxuries. 

His  body  was  taken  to  Fort  Simpson  and  buried  in 
the  Christian  Indian  cemetery,  which  I  visited  in  the 
fall  of  1879,  in  company  with  Rev.  Thomas  Crosby. 
It  crowns  a  beautiful  hill  overlooking  the  bay. 

Passing  by  the  crest-poles,  in  which,  formerly, 
with  heathen  rites,  they  deposited  the  ashes  of  the 
cremated  dead,  we  came  to  a  cemetery  laid  out  in 
modern  style,  many  of  the  graves  being  adorned 
with  marble  headstones  and  covered  with  flowers. 
Among  the  inscriptions  were  the  following  : 

“  His  end  was  peace.”  ”  There  is  hope  in  his  death.”  ‘‘Jesus 
pity  me.  Take  my  hand  and  lead  me  to  the  Father.  I  have  been 
poor  in  the  world,  and  wicked.  But  all  is  over  now.  Take  me 
home  to  God.”  ‘‘  Said  to  his  father,  trust  in  God.”  ‘‘  He  de¬ 
parted  trusting  in  Jesus.”  ”  Of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  Heaven.” 
Upon  the  stone  of  a  chief  who  was  drowned  by  the  splitting  of  his 
canoe,  ‘‘  His  last  act  was  to  sing  a  hymn  and  offer  prayer  to  God.” 

The  following  was  Clah’s  last  letter  : 

‘‘  Fort  Wrangell,  Sept.  14,  1877. 

“  Dr.  Jackson. 

”  Respected  Sir  :  We  are  getting  along  nicely 
since  you  left.  Mrs.  McFarland  gives  us  all  good 
satisfaction  ;  in  fact,  we  are  all  pleased  with  her.  I 


AN  INDIAN  LETTER. 


162 

keep  up  the  meetings  three  times  on  Sabbath,  and 
Tuesdays  and  Fridays.  Our  members  are  doing  very 
well.  No  doubt  Mrs.  McFarland  will  write  you  all 
the  particulars.  My  wife  has  come  up  from  Fort 
Simpson,  and  I  shall  need  a  house  to  live  in.  I  do 
not  know  what  I  shall  do,  as  I  shall  not  have  money 
enough  to  live  with  and  expend  any  on  a  house. 
Neither  can  I  pay  rent  with  my  salary,  and  keep 
even.  I  had  only  ^28  or  ^30  on  which  to  live  from 
the  time  you  left  to  the  ist  of  October,  and  if  this 
has  to  be  taken  from  my  pay  after  the  ist  of  Octo¬ 
ber,  it  will  make  me  awful  short.  If  I  could  start 
even  on  the  ist  of  October  I  could  get  along  splendid, 
if  I  had  a  small  room  to  live  in.  We  expected  to 
hear  from  you  by  return  steamer,  but  were  disap¬ 
pointed.  We  want  your  prayers  to  God  for  our 
success  in  converting  these  Indians.  It  is  my  con¬ 
stant  prayer  to  God  that  these  Indians  may  all  be 
made  to  know  Christ,  and  we  earnestly  ask  that  all 
the  churches  will  pray  for  us,  as  we  need  all  your 
prayers  to  God.  Yours  very  respectfully, 

“  Philip  McKay.” 

Soon  after  Clah’s  death,  Mrs.  McFarland  wrote  : 

‘Fort  Wrangell,  Alaska,  Jan.  i6th,  1878. 

”  Dr.  Jackson. 

”  Dear  Brother  :  Although  we  have  commenced 
a  new  year,  we  feel  sadly  broken  up  and  discour¬ 
aged,  for  God  has  taken  away  our  beloved  Philip. 
He  passed  away  very  peacefully,  on  Friday,  Decem¬ 
ber  28th,  1877. 


THE  DEATH  OF  CLAH. 


163 

“  I  went  up  to  see  him  on  Thursday.  He  talked 
very  cheerfully.  Said  he  thought  he  had  only  a  few 
hours  to  live.  I  asked  him  how  death  seemed  to 
him.  He  replied,  ‘  As  earth  fades  away,  heaven 
grows  brighter.’  His  wife  was  crouched  down  by 
his  bed  weeping.  He  turned  to  her  and  said,  ‘  An¬ 
nie,  you  must  not  cry  ;  Jesus  knows  what  is  best.’ 

“  His  friends  took  his  body  to  Fort  Simpson  to 
bury  it  beside  his  mother  and  three  brothers,  who 
were  drowned  last  summer. 

“  The  natives  raised  sufficient  money  among  them¬ 
selves  to  pay  for  the  coffin  and  build  a  fence  around 
his  grave.  I  think  it  was  very  thoughtful  in  them. 
Philip’s  dying  request  was  that  the  Christian  friends 
in  the  East  should  do  something  for  his  wife.  He 
said,  ‘  My  wife  and  little  boy  will  be  left  without 
anything  to  buy  food  with,  and  it  troubles  me.’  I 
told  him  he  must  not  worry  about  it,  that  the  Lord 
would  raise  up  friends  for  them  ;  and  asked  him  if 
he  could  not  leave  them  in  the  Lord’s  hands  ?  He 
replied  that  he  would  try  and  trust  all  to  Jesus. 

“  My  school  is  very  full,  and  I  am  about  as  busy 
as  it  is  possible  for  a  person  to  be.  Oh  !  I  do  pray 
that  the  Lord  will  soon  send  us  help. 

“  There  is  a  good  deal  of  alarm  among  the  Chris¬ 
tian  natives  about  the  Catholics.  Word  has  come 
from  Victoria  that  two  priests  are  coming  here  to 
build  a  church.  Shus-taks,  the  rich  chief  you  went 
to  see,  is  very  anxious  to  have  them  come,  and  has 
promised  them  much  help  in  building  a  church. 

“  I  am  rejoiced  to  report  that  we  are  moved  back 
with  the  school  .and  church  into  the  dance-house. 


164 


CHRISTMAS  GREETINGS. 


The  dance  business  did  not  seem  to  be  profitable,  so 
they  closed  the  house,  and  Messrs.  Lear  and  Vander¬ 
bilt,  who  had  the  leasing  of  it,  very  kindly  allowed 
me  to  make  the  change.  It  is  much  more  comfort¬ 
able  than  the  old  log  house.  •  ' 

“  Mrs.  Dickinson  has  just  sent  her  little  girls 
down  to  me  to  write  you  her  kind  regards. 

I  must  describe  to  you  how  the  natives  observed 
Christmas.  Between  twelve  and  one  o’clock  Christ¬ 
mas  morning  I  was  awakened  by  hearing  persons 
coming  up  to  my  house.  I  arose,  and  from  my  win¬ 
dow  saw  about  sixty  of  my  Indians  standing  in  a 
double  row  in  front  of  my  house,  with  thbir  lanterns 
and  umbrellas,  for  it  was  raining  heavily.  Just  as  I 
looked  out  they  commenced  singing,  ‘  While  shep¬ 
herds  watched  their  flocks  by  night.’  They  sung 
that  and  another  hymn,  and  then  went  quietly  away. 
It  seemed  to  me  that  nothing  ever  aroused  my  grati¬ 
tude  as  that  did.  I  did  not  know  that  there  was 
anything  more  to  come.  But  about  nine  o’clock  in 
the  morning  I  saw  a  large  procession  filing  into  my 
yard.  First  came  the  son  of  one  of  our  prominent 
men,  a  boy  about  thirteen,  carrying  a  large  British 
flag.  Perhaps  some  Sabbath-school  class  of  boys 
would  be  willing  to  present  our  mission  with  an 
American  flag,  the  Stars  and  Stripes.  Next  came 
the  Christian  chief,  Toy-a-att.  Then  came  all  the 
leading  men  ;  then  their  wives,  then  my  school. 
They  walked  in  single  file.  I  stood  in  my  door,  and 
as  they  walked  past  each  one  shook  hands  with  me 
and  wished  me  ‘  A  Merry  Christmas.’  The  old  chief 
took  my  hand  and  said,  ‘  A  Merry  Christmas,’  and 


A  SALUTATION. 


165 


‘  God  bless  you,  dear  teacher,’  and,  much  to  my  sur¬ 
prise,  leaned  forward  and  kissed  me  on  the  cheek. 
He  had  evidently  learned  his  speech  for  the  occasion, 
as  he  does  not  speak  English.  1  wish  I  could  de¬ 
scribe  their  costumes.  But  as  I  have  not  time  I  will 
only  say  that  the  boy  who  carried  the  flag  was 
dressed  in  light  blue  cashmere,  covered  over  with  gilt 
stars.  He  had  also  on  a  head-dress  made  of  flowers 
and  stars.  There  were  about  two  hundred  in  the 
procession.  ...  ... 

“  During  the  holidays  the  natives  got  into  many 
troubles,  through  the  great  quantities  of  whiskey 
that  have  been  made  here.  It  became  so  bad  that  Mr. 
Dennis  gathered  a  posse  of  men  last  Thursday  and 
made  a  raid  on  suspected  parties.  Eight  distilleries 
were  found  and  broken  up.  There  have  been  eigh¬ 
teen  in  all  destroyed.  Yours  truly, 

“A.  R.  McFarland.” 


ALASKA  FOX. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


Indian  Constitutional  Convention — Great  Speech  of  Toy-a  att — 

Native  Police — Indians  making  a  Treaty  of  Peace — Need  of  a 

Home  for  Girls — Witchcraft — Home  Commenced — Arrival  of 

Rev.  S.  Hall  Young. 

“  Oh  !  for  God  and  native  land, 

And  his  Word  make  strong  your  hand. 

Task — an  angel  might  desire  ; 

Task — your  Christian  zeal  must  fire  ! 

This  your  task,  oh,  seeing  one. 

May  it  win,  at  last,  ‘  Well  done.’  ” 

The  mission  commenced  the  year  1878  with  an 
important  movement  toward  law.  There  were  five 
hundred  whites  and  a  thousand  Indians  congregated 
in  the  place.  Gambling,  drunkenness  and  debauch¬ 
ery  were  rife. 

The  military  had  been  withdrawn,  and  there  were 
no  officers  or  courts  for  the  protection  of  life  and  re¬ 
dress  of  grievances. 

In  this  condition  of  affairs  a  few  chiefs  and  Indians 
who  had  renounced  heathenism  and  gathered  around 
the  mission,  feeling  the  need  of  some  government, 
appointed  Toy-a-att,  Moses  and  Matthew  as  a  police 
force  to  keep  order  and  punish  the  guilty. 

For  a  time  it  worked  smoothly,  but  after  a  while 
Shus-taks,  the  leading  heathen  chief,  rebelled,  and 


CONSTITUTIONAL  CONVENTION. 

told  the  Indians  that  the  policemen  had  no  authority. 
Con-sequently,  to  secure  the  sanction  of  popular 
opinion,  a  constitutional  convention  was  called  for 
February  3d,  1878,  This  convention  lasted  for  two 
days,  Mrs.  A.  R.  McFarland  being  elected  the  pre¬ 
siding  officer. 

She  thus  writes  concerning  the  convention  : 

“  The  school-house  was  packed  full.  We  had  a 
great  many  long  speeches,  until  it  began  to  grow 
dark.  I  had  written  out  some  laws,  with  which  they 
seemed  to  be  much  pleased.  But  as  it  was  now  five 
o’clock  in  the  afternoon,  I  proposed  that  they  should 
adjourn  until  the  next  morning,  and  that  I  would 
take  the  rules  home  and  copy  them  off  ready  for  their 
signatures.  The  next  morning  at  daybreak  Shus-taks 
came  out  on  the  end  of  the  Point,  as  he  always  does 
when  he  has  anything  to  say  to  the  people.  He  then 
made  a  great  speech,  telling  them  that  he  knew  all 
about  what  he  had  been  doing  the  day  before,  and 
that  I  was  trying  to  make  war  between  him  and  the 
other  people. 

“  When  we  met  at  the  school-house  that  morning 
we  concluded  to  send  an  invitation  to  Shus-taks  to 
come  over  and  hear  the  laws  read,  and,  if  possible, 
conciliate  him.  He  came,  bringing  five  of  his  men 
with  him.  We  also  invited  Mr.  Dennis,  the  Deputy 
Collector  of  Customs,  to  be  present. 

“  I  had  the  first  talk  with  Shus-taks.  He  was 
very  hostile,  and  made  bitter  remarks.  I  tried  to 
convince  him  that  I  had  come  up  there  to  do  him 
and  his  people  good,  and  then  read  him  the  laws  we 
had  adopted. 


i68  MRS.  McFarland’s  life  threatened. 

“  He  replied  that  he  would  like  to  know  what  I 
had  to  do  with  the  laws — that  I  had  been  sent  there 
to  teach  school,  and  nothing  more.  He  said  that  if 
Mr.  Dennis  and  I  went  on,  as  we  were  now  doing, 
that  we  would  upset  the  town  and  bring  war,  and 
all  the  people  would  be  killed.  He  said  he  supposed 
that  I  thought  I  was  safe,  but  he  would  advise  me 
to  send  for  the  soldiers  to  come  back. 

“  Mr.  Dennis  then  had  a  talk  with  him  ;  but  I  do 
not  think  it  made  the  least  impression. 

“  Then  Toy-a-att  made  a  talk  to  Shus-taks — in¬ 
deed  preached  him  a  solemn  sermon.  He  told  him 
that  he  was  now  an  old  man  and  could  not  live  long  ; 
that  he  wanted  him  to  give  his  heart  to  the  Saviour, 
who  had  died  for  him  ;  that  if  he  did  not,  but  died 
as  he  was  living,  he  must  be  forever  lost. 

“  Shus-taks  replied  that  he  did  not  care  if  he  did 
go  to  hell-fire — that  his  people  were  all  there.  He 
then  left  the  meeting. 

“  After  he  had  gone  the  people  all  signed  their 
names  (or  rather  I  wrote  their  names  and  they  made 
their  mark)  to  the  following  rules  : 

1st. 

We  concur  in  the  action  of  Mr.  I.  C.  Dennis,  Deputy  Collector 
of  U.  S.  Customs,  appointing  Toy-a-att,  Moses,  Matthew,  and 
Sam'  to  search  all  canoes  and  stop  the  traffic  of  liquor  among  the 
Indians. 

2d. 

We,  who  profess  to  be  Christians,  promise  with  God’s  help  to 
strive  as  much  as  possible  to  live  at  peace  with  each  other— to 
have  no  fighting,  no  quarrelling,  no  tale  bearing  among  us.  These 
things  are  all  sinful,  and  should  not  exist  among  Christians. 


LAWS  ENACTED  1 69 

3d. 

Any  troubles  that  arise  among  the  brethren,  between  husbands 
and  wives,  or  any  man  leaves  his  wife,  these  brethren,  Toy-a-att, 
Moses,  Matthew,  Aaron,  and  Lot,  have  authority  to  settle  the 
troubles  and  decide  what  the  punishment  shall  be  ;  and  if  fenes  are 
imposed,  how  much  the  fines  shall  be. 

4th. 

The  authority  of  these  brethren  is  binding  upon  all.  And  no 
person  is  to  resist  or  interfere  with  them,  as  they  are  appointed 
by  Mr.  Dennis  and  Mrs.  McFarland. 

5th. 

To  all  the  above  we  subscribe  our  names. 

The  great  speech  of  the  convention  was  that  of 
Chief  Toy-a-att  before  a  crowded  audience  of  whites 
and  Indians.  We  give  it  as  reported  in  the  Port 
Townsend  Weekly  Argus  : 

“  My  brothers  and  friends,  I  come  before  you  to-day 
to  talk  a  little,  and  I  hope  you  will  listen  to  what  I 
say,  and  not  laugh  at  me  because  I  am  an  Indian.  I 
am  getting  old,  and  have  not  yet  many  summers  to 
live  on  this  earth.  I  want  to  speak  a  little  of  the 
past  history  of  us  Stickeen  Indians  and  of  our  present 
wants.  In  ages  past,  before  white  men  came  among 
us,  the  Indians  of  Alaska  were  barbarous,  with  brut¬ 
ish  instincts. 

“  Tribal  wars  were  continual,  bloodshed  and  mur¬ 
der  of  daily  occurrence,  and  superstition  controlled 
our  whole  movements  and  our  hearts. 

“  The  white  man’s  God  we  knew  not  of.  Nature 
evinced  to  us  that  there  was  a  first  great  cause  ;  be¬ 
yond  all  that  was  blank.  Our  god  was  created  by 


AN  INDIAN  SPEECH. 


170 

us  ;  that  is,  we  selected  animals  and  birds,  the  im¬ 
ages  of  which  we  revered  as  gods. 

“  Natural  instincts  taught  us  to  supply  our  wants 
from  that  which  we  beheld  around  us.  If  we  wanted 
food,  the  waters  gave  us  fish  ;  and  if  we  wanted  rai¬ 
ment,  the  wild  animals  of  the  woods  gave  us  skins, 
which  we  converted  to  use.  Implements  of  warfare 
and  tools  to  work  with  we  constructed  rudely  from 
stone  and  wood.  [Here  the  speaker  showed  speci¬ 
mens  of  stone  axes  and  weapons  of  warfare.] 

“  These,”  said  he,  holding  them  up  to  view,  “  we 
used  in  the  place  of  the  saws,  axes,  hammers,  guns, 
and  knives  of  the  present  time.  Fire  we  discovered 
by  friction.  [Here  he  demonstrated  how  they  pro¬ 
duced  fire.] 

”  In  the  course  of  time  a  change  came  over  the 
spirit  of  our  dreams.  We  became  aware  of  the  fact 
that  we  were  not  the  only  beings  in  the  shape  of  man 
that  inhabited  this  earth.  White  men  appeared  be¬ 
fore  us  on  the  surface  of  the  great  waters  in  large 
ships,  which  we  called  canoes.  Where  they  came 
from  we  knew  not,  but  supposed  that  they  dropped 
from  the  clouds.  The  ships’  sails  we  took  for  wings, 
and  concluded  that,  like  the  birds  of  the  air,  they 
could  fly  as  well  as  swim.  As  time  advanced,  the 
white  men  who  visited  our  country  introduced  among 
us  everything  that  is  produced  by  nature  and  the 
arts  of  man.  They  also  told  us  of  a  God,  a  superior 
being,  who  created  all  things,  even  us,  the  Indians. 
They  told  us  that  this  God  was  in  the  heavens  above, 
and  that  all  mankind  were  his  children.  These  things 
were  told  us,  but  we  could  not  understand  them. 


toy-a-att*s  speech.  171 

“  At  the  present  time  we  are  not  the  same  people 
that  we  were  a  hundred  years  ago.  Contact  and  as¬ 
sociation  with  the  white  man  has  created  a  change 
in  our  habits  and  customs.  We  have  seen  and  heard 
of  the  wonderful  works  of  the  white  man.  His  in¬ 
genuity  and  skill  has  produced  steamships,  railroads, 
telegraphs,  and  thousands  of  other  things.  His 
mind  is  far-reaching  ;  whatever  he  desires  he  pro¬ 
duces.  His  wonderful  sciences  enable  him  to  under-- 
\ 

stand  nature  and  her  laws.  Whatever  she  produces 
he  improves  upon  and  makes  useful. 

“  Each  day  the  white  man  becomes  more  perfect 
in  the  arts  and  sciences,  while  the  Indian  is  at  a 
standstill.  Why  is  this  ?  Is  it  because  the  God  you 
have  told  us  of  is  a  white  God,  and  that  you,  being 
of  his  color,  have  been  favored  by  him  ? 

“  Why,  brothers,  look  at  our  skin  ;  we  are  dark, 
we  are  not  of  your  color,  hence  you  call  us  Indians. 
Is  this  the  reason  that  we  are  ignorant  ;  is  this  the 
cause  of  our  not  knowing  our  Creator  ? 

“  My  brothers,  a  change  is  coming.  We  have 
seen  and  heard  of  the  wonderful  things  of  this 
world,  and  we  desire  to  understand  what  we  see  and 
what  we  hear.  We  desire  light.  We  want  our  eyes 
to  become  open.  We  have  been  in  the  dark  too 
long,  and  we  appeal  to  you,  my  brothers,  to  help  us. 

“  But  how  can  this  be  done  ?  Listen  to  me.  Al¬ 
though  I  have  been  a  bad  Indian,  I  can  see  the  right 
road,  and  I  desire  to  follow  it.  I  have  changed  for 
the  better.  I  have  done  away  with  all  Indian  super¬ 
stitious  habits.  I  am  in  my  old  age  becoming  civil¬ 
ized.  I  have  learned  to  know  Jesus,  and  I  desire  to 


JUSTICE  asked. 


175 

know  mofe  of  him.  I  desire  education,  in  order 
that  I  may  be  able  to  read  the  Holy  Bible. 

“  Look  at  Fort  Simpson  and  at  Metlakatla,  British 
Columbia.  See  the  Indians  there.  In  years  gone  by 
they  were  the  worst  Indians  on  this  coast,  the  most 
brutal,  barbarous,  and  blood-thirsty.  They  were  our 
sworn  enemies,  and  were  continually  at  war  with  us. 
How  are  they  now  ?  Instead  of  our  enemies  they  are 
our  friends.  They  have  become  partially  educated 
and  civilized.  They  can  understand  what  they  see 
and  what  they  hear  ;  they  can  read  and  write,  and 
are  learning  to  become  Christians.  These  Indians, 
my  brothers,  at  the  places  just  spoken  of,  are  British 
Indians,  and  it  must  have  been  the  wish  of  the  Brit¬ 
ish  Queen  that  her  Indians  should  be  educated.  We 
have  been  told  that  the  British  Government  is  a 
powerful  one,  and  we  have  also  been  told  that  the 
American  Government  is  a  more  powerful  one.  We 
have  been  told  that  the  President  of  the  United 
States  has  control  over  all  the  people,  both  whites 
and  Indians.  We  have  been  told  how  he  came  to  be 
our  great  chief.  He  purchased  this  country  from 
Russia,  and  in  purchasing  it  he  purchased  us.  We 
had  no  choice  or  say  in  change  of  masters.  The 
change  has  been  made,  and  we  are  content.  All  we 
ask  is  justice. 

“  We  ask  of  our  father  at  Washington  that  we  be 
recognized  as  a  people,  inasmuch  as  he  recognizes 
all  other  Indians  in  other  portions  of  the  United 
States. 

“  We  ask  that  we  be  civilized.  Christianized,  and 
educated.  Give  us  a  chance,  and  we  will  show  to 


AN  APPEAL  TO  WHITE  MEN. 


173 


the  world  that  we  can  become  peaceable  citizens  and 
good  Christians.  An  effort  has  already  been  made 
by  Christian  friends  to  better  our  condition,  and 
may  God  bless  them  in  their  work.  A  school  has 
been  established  here,  which,  notwithstanding  strong 
opposition  by  bad  white  men  and  by  Indians,  has 
done  a  good  and  great  work  among  us. 

“  This  is  not  sufficient.  We  want  our  chief  at 
Washington  to  help  us.  We  want  him  to  use  his 
influence  toward  having  us  a  church  built  and  in 
having  a  good  man  sent  to  us  who  will  teach  us  to 
read  the  Bible  and  learn  all  about  Jesus.  And  now, 
my  brothers,  to  you  I  appeal.  Help  us  in  our  efforts 
to  do  right.  If  you  don’t  want  to  come  to  our 
church,  don’t  laugh  and  make  fun  of  us  because  we 
sing  and  pray. 

“  Many  of  you  have  Indian  women  living  with 
you.  I  ask  you  to  send  them  to  school  and  church, 
where  they  will  learn  to  become  good  women. 
Don’t,  my  brothers,  let  them  go  to  the  dance-houses, 
for  there  they  will  learn  to  be  bad  and  learn  to  drink 
whiskey. 

“  Now  that  I  see  you  are  getting  tired  of  listening 
to  me,  I  will  finish  by  asking  you  again  to  help  us 
in  trying  to  do  right.  If  one  of  us  should  be  led 
astray  from  the  right  path,  point  out  to  us  our  error 
and  assist  us  in  trying  to  reform.  If  you  will  all  as¬ 
sist  us  in  doing  good,  and  quit  selling  whiskey  we 
will  soon  make  Fort  Wrangell  a  quiet  place,  and  the 
Stickeen  Indians  will  become  a  happy  people.  I  now 
thank  you  all  for  your  kind  attention.  Good-by.” 


174  ARRIVAL  OF  REV.  JOHN  G.  BRADY. 


“  Fort  Wrangell,  Alaska,  March  i6th,  1878. 

“  Dr.  Jackson. 

“  Dear  Brother  :  There  has  been  a  great  time 
among  the  natives  here  this  week.  It  seems  that  the 
Tongas  and  Stickeens  have  been  enemies  for  a  num¬ 
ber  of  years  ;  but  this  winter  they  have  become 
friends.  This  week  the  Tongas  came  to  visit  the 
Stickeens  and  have  a  grand  ‘  Hee-Hee.’  We  all 
went  down  to  the  beach  to  see  the  Tongas  come  in. 
They  had  nine  large  canoes  lashed  together  abreast. 
They  were  all  dressed  in  their  gayest  colors,  and 
made  quite  an  imposing  appearance.  After  landing 
they  and  the  Stickeens  had  a  sham  battle,  followed 
by  a  grand  dance  on  the  beach.  They  were  all 
painted,  and  dressed  in  their  native  costumes.  . 
There  were  some  1500  of  them  present,  besides  all 
the  whites  in  the  settlement.  It  was  a  strange 
scene,  and  one  long  to  be  remembered.  The  dancing 
has  been  kept  up  all  the  week,  day  and  night,  and  I 
suppose  will  be  for  some  time  to  come. 

“  The  great  importance  of  our  work  here  was 
more  than  ever  felt,  as  I  looked  upon  this  multitude 
of  immortal  souls  who  had  never  heard  of  a  crucified 
Saviour.  And  my  earnest  prayer  was  that  with  the 
coming  of  Rev.  Mr.  Brady,  these  people,  who  have 
never  heard  the  Gospel,  might  have  their  eyes  opened 
to  the  truth. 

“  Rev.  Mr.  Brady  arrived  by  steamer  on  the  15th. 
It  is  a  great  encouragement  to  have  him  here.  He 
went  on  to  Sitka,  but  will  return  with  the  steamer. 

'  Two  weeks  ago  Rev,  Bishop  Bompas  (Episc©- 


VISIT  OF  BISHOP  BOMPAS.  1/5 

palian)  came  up  on  the  Otter,  but  returned  on  the 
same  boat. 

‘‘  He  reported  that  he  had  come  to  look  up  mission 
stations,  but  had  no  desire  to  come  in  where  other 
churches  were  already  on  the  ground.  He  spent  a 
day  in  my  school,  and  spoke  to  some  of  our  citizens, 
highly  commending  the  management  and  success  of 
the  school.  I  told  him  of  my  great  desire  to  estab¬ 
lish  a  home  for  young  girls,  and  also  how  my  heart 
had  ached  at  the  utter  destitution  of  all  comfort 
among  those  that  were  sick. 

“  He  seemed  to  think  that  there  should  be  a  fund 
for  the  relief  of  the  worthy  suffering,  and  as  for  the 
‘  Home,’  he  was  sure  if  Christians  in  the  East  could 
be  made  to  see  the  importance  of  it,  that  I  would 
soon  have  all  the  money  needed  to  build  and  furnish 
the  necessary  quarters. 

“  Before  leaving  he  gave  me  ^2,  one  for  the 
‘  Home  ’  and  the  other  to  relieve  sick  Indians.  He 
said  he  was  poor,  but  wished  to  do  something,  and 
advised  me  to  write  East  that  the  fund  was  com¬ 
menced,  and  that  every  dollar  that  was  added  to  it 
would  help  on  the  great  and  glorious  work.  I  wish 
so  much  that  some  one  else  could  take  the  school 
and  I  be  allowed  to  give  my  entire  time  to  the 
women  and  girls.  If  we  had  only  some  rooms  for  a 
home  I  am  sure  that  some  Ladies’  Society  would 
support  it.  The  need  is  a  most  urgent  one. 


t ) 


“  Yours  truly, 

“A.  R.  McFarlanp. 


176 


INDIAN  WEDDING  FEAST. 


“  Fort  Wrangell,  Alaska,  March  26th,  1878. 

“  Dear  Brother  :  On  Sabbath  morning  Rev. 
Mr.  Brady  married,  in  the  church,  Toy-a-att  (our 
Christian  chief)  and  his  wife,  and  Moses  and  his  wife. 
The  service  was  performed  with  the  ring  and  all. 

“  On  Monday  some  Indians  came  to  my  school¬ 
room  and  asked  us  to  go  to  ‘  Shakes  ’  and  have  a 
funeral  service  for  a  young  man  that  had  died  the 
night  before.  Upon  receiving  the  word  Mr.  Brady 
came  up,  the  school  was  dismissed,  and  taking  some 
of  our  people  with  us  we  went  over  to  the  house. 
They  received  us  very  kindly,  and  we  had  an  interest¬ 
ing  meeting.  The  heathen  portion  of  the  audience 
seemed  to  be  very  much  impressed.  They  had  in¬ 
tended  to  burn  the  body,  according  to  the  customs 
of  their  fathers.  But  before  we  came  away  the  most 
prominent  man  among  them  made  a  speech,  saying 
that  he  was  ‘  going  to  have  a  hole  made  and  bury 
the  dead  man  as  white  men  did.’  He  said  if  a  min¬ 
ister  came  to  live  at  Fort  Wrangell,  the  missionary 
was  to  be  the  head,  and  they  were  bound  to  do 
whatever  he  told  them.  The  hearts  of  these  heathens 
seemed  to  be  opened  in  a  most  wonderful  manner. 
Everything  seems  to  be  ready  for  a  great  work 
to  be  done  for  Christ  among  this  people,  if  we 
only  had  a  minister  here  to  carry  it  on.  Mr.  Brady 
goes  by  the  steamer  to  Sitka. 

“  About  two  o’clock  yesterday  a  messenger  came 
with  an  invitation  for  Mr.  Brady  and  myself  to  awed- 
ding  feast  that  Toy-a-att  and  Moses  were  giving  in 
Matthew’s  house  Of  course  we  accepted  the  invita¬ 
tion.  We  were  agreeably  surprised  to  see  how  nicely 


KING  GEORGE’S  PEOPLE. 


177 


they  had  everything  arranged.  Their  tables  were 
neatly  set  with  clean  white  cloth.  Two  long  tables 
extended  clear  across  the  house.  You  remember  that 
Matthew’s  house  has  a  raised  platform  extending 
around  the  wall  of  the  building  and  three  feet  above 
the  main  ground  floor.  Upon  this  platform  they  had 
set  a  small  table  for  Mr.  Brady  and  myself.  The 
dinner  was  good.  They  had  crackers,  butter,  sal¬ 
mon,  apricots,  pies  of  different  kinds,  plum-pudding, 
tea,  coffee,  condensed  milk,  and  white  sugar.  I  have 
eaten  plum-puddings  made  by  white  people  that 
were  not  near  as  good  as  theirs.  They  had  prepared 
great  quantities  of  everything.  The  two  long  tables 
were  filled  three  times,  and  every  one  had  all  they 
could  eat.  It  was  surprising  to  see  how  orderly  and 
quietly  everything  was  carried  on  in  such  a  crowd. 

“  There  were  several  of  the  Tongas  and  Hydah 
chiefs  present.  Mr.  Brady  had  a  long  talk  with 
them.  A  very  fine  and  intelligent  looking  Tongas 
chief,  who  did  most  of  the  talking,  asked  when  his 
people  were  to  have  schools  and  preachers.  Mr. 
Brady  replied  b  t  asking  if  nothing  had  been  done  for 
them.  We  were  much  surprised  at  his  reply.  He 
said  that  an  English  missionary  had  been  there  and 
offered  to  do  something  for  them,  but  that  they  be¬ 
longed  to  the  United  States,  and  did  not  want  King 
George’s  people  coming  over  to  teach  them  ;  that 
they  would  wait  and  look  to  American  people  for 
help.  Mr.  Brady  assured  them  that  they  should  have 
teachers  as  soon  as  they  could  be  secured.  This  talk 
was  had  while  the  second  and  third  tables  were 
being  served. 


178 


DEATH  OF  SHAAKS. 


After  all  had  eaten,  and  the  tables  were  carried 
out,  Toy-a-att  proposed  that  they  should  have  a  reg¬ 
ular  Indian  dance,  to  show  us  how  they  did  before 
they  knew  about  God.  They  then  dressed  up  in 
their  Indian  costumes,  masked  their  faces,  then  came 
out  and  danced  four  different  kinds  of  dances.  After 
the  dance  they  played  a  game  called  the  flag-game. 
They  drew  us  both  into  this  game,  which  amused 
them  very  much.  At  the  close  Toy-a-att  made  a 
speech,  saying  that  this  was  their  last  dance,  that 
they  had  learned  a  better  way,  and  did  not  intend  to 
dance  any  more.  He  then  turned  around  and  pre¬ 
sented  us  each  with  one  of  their  musical  instruments, 
saying  they  would  now  have  no  further  use  for  them. 
The  party  then  broke  up,  and  all  went  home  before 
dark.  Yours  truly, 

“  A.  R.  McFarland.” 

“  Fort  Wrangell,  Alaska,  June,  1878. 

”  Dear  Brother  :  Shaaks  (the  head  chief  of  these 
people)  came  home  sick  with  a  hemorrhage  of  the 
lungs,  and  died  in  four  days.  They  kept  the  body 
lying  in  state  (or  rather  sitting)  until  Sabbath. 
On  Saturday  they  sent  for  me  to  decide  whether 
they  should  burn  or  bury  the  body.  Of  course  I  de¬ 
cided  that  it  was  better  to  bury  it.  They  said  then 
it  should  be  buried.  On  Sabbath  they  sent  for  me 
to  take  charge  of  the  funeral,  saying  “  they  wanted 
me  to  come  and  pray  like  white  people.”  So  I  took 
some  of  our  Christian  Indians  and  went  and  had 
religious  service.  They  seemed  very  much  pleased. 
None  of  Shaaks’  people  have  ever  attended  church. 


SHAAKS  LYING  IN  STATE. 


DISAPPOINTMENTS. 


l8l 


On  Saturday  evening  I  talked  with  the  new  chief, 
Shaak’s  brother.  He  promised  me  that  he  would  at¬ 
tend  church.  Said  he  wanted  to  learn  about  God. 
Mr.  Davidson  secured  a  very  good  photograph  of  the 
dead  chief  as  he  was  sitting  in  state,  with  all  his 
Indian  fixtures  around  him.  Since  Rev.  Mr.  Brady 
went  to  Sitka  we  have'^^been  doing  the  best  we  can, 
but  it  is  hard  work  carrying  on  the  Sabbath  services. 

“  June  7. — Mr.  Brady  and  Miss  Kellogg  write  very 
encouragingly  of  the  work  at  Sitka. 

“  My  school  is  now  averaging  thirty-five  scholars, 
which  is  very  good  for  this  season  of  the  year.  Many 
have  gone  to  the  mines  and  other  places  for  work. 

“  Shus-taks  has  been  pretty  quiet  since  the  rev¬ 
enue  cutter  came.  He  tried  to  rriake  trouble  about 
the  time  that  Shaaks  died,  by  reporting  that  Shaaks 
had  been  poisoned  by  some  white  person.  I  believe 
that  Shus-taks  will  come  around  all  right  yet. 

“June  13. — The  steamer  California  came  in  last 
night,  and  we  were  again  disappointed  in  the  non¬ 
arrival  of  the  minister.  The  delay  in  securing  a 
minister  makes  me  almost  sick.  The  Indians,  too, 
feel  it  very  much.  Toy-a-att  and  Lot  came  to  me 
last  night  to  know  ‘  How  many  moons  now  till 
preacher  comes  ?’  I  told  them  that  I  could  not  lell 
anything  about  it.  I  hoped  he  would  come  next 
steamer,  but  I  could  not  tell.  Toy-a-att  laid  his 
hand  on  his  heart  and  said,  'Nica  sick.  Tuin-tum. 
Wake-siah.  Conaway  Indian  mama  Louse.  Nika  sick. 
Tiim-tum.'  (I  have  sad  heart.  By  and  by  Indian 
all  dead.  I  have  sad,  sad  heart.)  He  felt  so  badly 
that  he  shed  tears  over  it.  I  fear  all  this  delay  is 


i82 


DISAPPOINTMENTS. 


going  to  cause  the  Indians  to  lose  confidence  in 
the  church. 

“  July  8. — By  the  last  steamer  we  heard  that  the 
minister  was  on  board  on  his  way  here,  so  I  had 
the  girls  clean  up  a  house  and  get  it  all  ready  for 
him.  This  time  we  felt  so  sure  that  he  would  come 
that  I  had  the  men  and  boys  bring  in  evergreens  and 
trim  up  the  school-room  beautifully,  but  when  the 
steamer  came,  and  no  minister,  the  disappointment 
was  correspondingly  great.  The  Indians  said,  ‘  Well, 
we  will  not  do  anything  more.  It  is  no  use.  We  do 
not  believe  any  person  is  coming  at  all.’  I  cannot 
blame  them.  I  have  not  been  so  depressed  since 
coming  here.  The  work  is  greatly  suffering  and 
the  success  of  the  mission  greatly  imperilled  by  the 
long  delay  in  the  arrival  of  a  minister. 

“  Then  the  idea  has  been  held  out  that  we  were 
going  to  build  a  church  this  season,  and  yet  there  is 
no  one  here  to  take  the  lead,  and  consequently  noth¬ 
ing  has  been  done. 

“  Then,  to  add  to  all  the  other  discouragements,  a 
Catholic  priest  came  up  on  this  steamer.  No  person 
knows  what  he  is  going  to  do.  But  the  indications 
are  that  he  has  come  to  stay.  I  would  not  be  sur¬ 
prised  to  see  him  at  once  commence  the  erection  of 
a  church.  If  he  expects  to  do  anything  here,  he 
will  be  shrewd  enough  to  take  advantage  of  the  dis¬ 
appointment  of  the  Indians  at  the  long  delay  in  the 
coming  of  a  minister. 

“  The  captain  of  the  steamer  has  kindly  invited 
me  to  accompany  his  wife  and  daughter  on  a  free 
trip  to  Sitka,  which  I  have  accepted. 


KLAWOCK — APPEAL  FOR  SCHOOL.  1 83 

“  Sitka,  July  10. — I  find  Miss  Kellogg  very  happy 
and  much  interested  in  her  work. 

“  Rev.  Mr.  Brady  has  just  returned  from  a  mis¬ 
sionary  tour  to  the  Hoonas  Indians,  and  will  make 
application  for  a  missionary  for  them.  There  is  also 
a  new  settlement  of  Americans  up  here,  where  we 
should  have  a  missionary  at  once.  Oh,  how  long 
will  the  church  sleep  and  let  these  people  perish  ? 
Can  nothing  be  done  to  secure  more  help  ? 

“  July  10. — We  have  been  lying  all  day  in  the 
steamer  at  the  new  settlement  of  Klawock. 

“  The  principal  white  men  have  visited  me,  to 
learn  what  was  necessary  for  them  to  do  to  secure  a 
missionary.  The  Indians  also  have  been  to  see  me. 
They  ask,  ‘  Why  can’t  we  have  a  school  as  well  as 
the  Indians  at  Sitka  or  Fort  Wrangell  ?’  One  of  the 
Americans  says  he  is  confident  we  could  have  a 
school  of  one  hundred  Indians  here.  There  are  also 
a  number  of  white  children,  and  very  great  need  of  a 
mission.  It  is  a  dirty,  muddy,  disagreeable  village, 
much  more  so  than  Wrangell,  and  nothing  but  the 
love  of  the  work  and  love  to  the  Saviour  would  in¬ 
duce  missionaries  to  live  at  such  a  place.  And  yet 
it  ought  to  be  occupied. 

“  There  is  a  saw-mill  here.  Lumber  is  cheap,  and 
the  people  will  do  all  they  can  to  assist  the  mission. 
Surely  it  is  a  call  from  God.  Will  the  Church  ena¬ 
ble  the  board  to  respond  ? 

“  I  have  had  two  schools  in  operation  since  spring. 
Up  the  beach  were  a  lot  of  wild  natives  that  I  could 
not  induce  to  come  into  our  school.  I  felt  so  dis¬ 
tressed  about  them  that  I  concluded  that  if  they 


WITCHCRAFT. 


184 

were  too  shy  to  come  to  me  I  would  go  to  them. 
I  rented  an  old  log  building  on  the  point  in  their 
neighborhood  and  opened  school.  I  have  from 
forty-five  to  sixty  in  attendance.  I  teach  them  from 
the  blackboard.  This  school  meets  in  the  afternoon. 
After  I  had  gone  a  few  times  they  asked  me  if  I 
would  not  come  Sunday  and  have  church  for  them. 
Consequently  I  hold  a  little  service  with  them  on  the 
Sabbath  afternoons.  They  seem  much  interested. 
By  and  by  1  hope  they  may  be  induced  to  attend 
the  other  church  and  school. 

“  We  have  had  more  witchcraft  here,  and  the  effect 
has  been  very  bad  on  the  minds  of  the  young  people. 
Some  of  my  brightest  and  best  scholars  have  been 
led  away  by  it.  As  we  have  no  kind  of  law,  none 
of  the  whites  felt  that  they  had  any  right  to  inter¬ 
fere.  It  has  frequently  been  said  to  me,  ‘  If  you 
will  get  a  minister  here,  so  that  the  Indians  will  see 
that  he  is  permanent,  and  one  who  will  make  them 
understand  he  is  determined  to  break  up  all  such 
things,  it  will  more  than  anything  else  tend  to  pre¬ 
vent  the  recurrence  of  such  scenes.’ 

“Yours  truly,  A.  R.  McFarland.” 

“Fort  Wrangell,  Alaska,  Sept.  3d,  1878. 

“  Dear  Brother  :  Rev.  Mr.  Young  has  been  very 
busy  since  his  arrival  last  month.  He  has  made  a 
very  favorable  impression  both  on  the  whites  and 
the  natives.  We  all  like  him  very  much.  Last  Sab¬ 
bath  he  was  called  upon  to  attend  the  funeral  of  an 
old  woman  who  died  on  Saturday.  When  we  went 
to  the  house  we  were  shocked  to  see  the  dead  body 


THE  HOME. 


185 


of  another  woman  wrapped  in  a  blanket  and  lying 
on  the  floor.  We  were  still  more  shocked  to  find 
that  she  had  hung  herself  but  a  short  time  before. 
It  was  the  effect  of  witchcraft. 

“  I  have  not  yet  moved  into  the  hospital  building, 
as  I  have  nothing  to  begin  with.  I  am  exceedingl)^ 
anxious  to  get  the  ‘  Home  ’  started.  There  are  six 
young  girls  whom  I  ought  to  take  right  away,  as  the 
miners  are  coming  into  town  for  the  winter.’  I  trem¬ 
ble  for  these  poor  children  lest  it  should  be  too  late 
to  save  them.  I  have  turned  the  responsibility  of  the 
school  over  to  Mr.  Young,  and  feel  as  if  a  great  load 
had  been  taken  off  my  shoulders.  He  preaches  to 
the  whites  at  three  o’clock  every  Sabbath  afternoon. 
They  come  out  very  well,  and  seem  to  be  greatly  in¬ 
terested. 

“  Sept.  II,  1878. — The  steamer  has  just  come  in, 
and  how  rejoiced  I  am  to  hear  that  the  Board  of 
Home  Missions  has  commissioned  Miss  Dunbar.  I 
wish  she  was  here  now  to  take  charge  of  the  fall 
school.  I  also  received  a  very  kind  letter  from  Dr. 
Cyrus  Dickson,  with  the  renewal  of  my  commission 
for  another  year.  - 

“  I  realize  more  and  more  the  difficulties  I  will 
have  to  contend  with  in  opening  this  ‘  Home,’  but  I 
also  feel  the  necessity  laid  upon  me  of  going  forward. 
There  are  several  girls  here  now  who  will  be  lost  if 
I  do  not  take  them  at  once.  Of  course  there  are  a 
great  many  more,  but  these  I  feel  particularly  inter¬ 
ested  in,  because  they  have  been  in  school  and  have 
made  considerable  progress.  Being  pretty  and 
smart,  they  are  just  the  ones  the  white  men  will  try 


l86  THE  HOME  COMMENCED. 

to  get  possession  of.  I  have  written  many  letters 
and  made  appeals  in  many  directions,  but  so  far  have 
received  little  encouragement  to  go  on,  and  yet  I 
feel  that  I  must  do  it.  Mr.  Young  has  been  urging 
me  to  get  moved  and  make  a  beginning.  He  feels 
the  necessity  of  it.  I  will  try  to  move  this  month 
into  the  old  hospital  building,  but  of  course  we  will 
have  nothing  to  begin  with  in  the  way  of  furniture. 
Still  I  have  faith  to  believe  that  it  will  come  in  due 
time. 

“Mrs.  Dickinson  has  just  been  in  with  a  woman 
who  is  the  mother  of  one  of  my  scholars,  a  pretty 
girl  of  thirteen.  She  was  about  to  start  up  the  river 
with  the  child  to  make  money  to  buy  ‘  muck-a-muck  ’ 
for  the  winter.  The  woman  is  determined  to  go  her¬ 
self,  but  after  much  persuasion  consented  to  leave 
the  girl  with  me.  So  you  see  the  ‘  Home  ’  is  started. 

“  October  17. —  .  .  .  My  girls  are  contented  and 
happy.  Lest  some  should  think  that  I  acted  unwise¬ 
ly  in  taking  them  before  their  support  was  pledged, 
permit  me  to  say  that  I  could  not  do  otherwise.  I 
dared  not  delay  even  for  a  week. 

“  Of  course  I  feel  much  anxiety  about  the  means 
to  carry  on  the  work.  I  know  it  will  be  a  great 
struggle  for  a  while,  but  my  trust  is  in  the  prayer¬ 
hearing  God,  whose  work  it  is.  I  hope  to  hear  by 
the  next  steamer  that  some  societies  have  assumed 
the  support  of  these  girls. 

“  Mr.  Young  is  very  busy  securing  what  funds  he 
can  here  toward  the  erection  of  a  church. 

“  Mr.  J.  M.  Vanderbilt,  to  whom  we  have  been 
indebted  for  many  facilities,  has  paid  the  rent  for  us 


THE  HOSPITAL — A  SQUARE-ROOFED  TWO-STORY  BUILDING  USED  FOR  THE  MCFARLAND  INDUSTRIAL  HOME 

FROM  SEPTEMBER  1878  TO  1880. 


arrival  of  rfv.  s.  hall  young.  189 


on  the  hospital  building  for  one  year,  as  a  contribu¬ 
tion  from  his  wife.  Truly  yours, 

“A.  R.  McFarland.” 

In  August,  1878,  the  Rev.  S.  Hall  Young,  of 
Parkersburg,  West  Virginia,  who  had  been  commis¬ 
sioned  by  the  Board  of  Home  Missions  the  previous 
spring,  reached  Fort  Wrangell. 

Graduating  with  high  honors  at  Allegheny  Theo¬ 
logical  Seminary,  he  entered  upon  his  work  with 
great  zeal  and  earnestness,  and  was  very  gladly  wel¬ 
comed  by  Mrs.  McFarland.  At  the  very  outset  of 
his  work  Mr.  Young  was  confronted  with  demon¬ 
strations  of  witchcraft.  Consequently  he  held  a 
convention  of  the  people  to  put  it  down.  This  con¬ 
vention  lasted  five  days.  Mrs.  McFarland  writes  : 

“  Fort  Wrangell,  Alaska,  Nov.  9th,  1878. 

”  Dear  Brother  :  The  witchcraft  excitement  has 
again  broken  out  and  given  Mr.  Young  much  trouble. 
He  has  shown  great  wisdom  and  courage  in  quelling 
it  without  the  loss  of  life.  Kootlan,  the  oldest  of  the 
Stickeen  chiefs,  died  this  week  after  a  long  illness. 
Although  he  belonged  to  the  heathen  Indians,  yet 
they  sent  for  Mr.  Young  to  attend  the  funeral.  Shus- 
taks  lost  his  wife  this  week,  and  is  making  great 
preparations  to  burn  the  body  next  Sabbath.  Mr. 
Young  and  I  both  visited  her  during  her  illness. 
Her  friends  firmly  believe  that  she  was  bewitched. 

”  The  more  fully  we  become  acquainted  with  Mr. 
Young,  the  more  we  are  impressed  that  the  Lord  has 
sent  us  just  the  right  man.  He  makes  a  splendid 
missionary. 


AN  INDIAN  COUNCIL. 


190 


“  I  am  very  much  pleased  with  the  proposition  to 
ask  a  Christmas  offering  for  my  Home.  We  are  liv¬ 
ing  on  faith  now. 

“  December  5th,  1878. 

“  Mr.  Young  has  recently  held  a  five  days’  council 
with  the  chiefs  and  principal  men  of  the  Stickeen 
nation.  The  different  bands  of  the  nation  were  not 
good  friends.  Each  of  the  chiefs  had  his  following, 
and  they  would  not  attend  church  together.  Since 
the  council  many  more  have  been  attending  church. 
If  the  council  result  in  ^breaking  down  their  jealousies, 
an  important  point  will  have  been  gained.  Mr. 
Young  has  also  taken  hold  of  the  witchcraft  opera¬ 
tions  with  great  vigor,  and,  I  think,  will  be  able  to 
break  them  up. 

“  Our  school  is  doing  nicely.  We  greatly  need 
another  teacher. 

“  The  councd  has  opened  up  the  way  for  much 
more  visiting  among  the  people.  But  with  the 
school  and  Home  on  my  hands  it  is  impossible  for 
me  to  do  more.  Yours  truly, 

“A.  R.  McFarland.” 

Rev.  Mr.  Young  writes  : 

“  Fort  Wrangell,  Alaska,  Dec.  5,  1878. 

”  Dear  Dr.  Jackson  :  We  have  gained  a  victory 
over  witchcraft.  Shus-taks  and  his  wife  were  both 
sick,  and  of  course  they  must  blame  some  one  with 
having  worked  ‘  bad  medicine  ’  against  them.  Young 
Shaaks,  successor  of  the  head  chief  and  nephew  to 
Shus-taks,  gathered  up  his  friends  and  caught  an 
old  man,  one  of  our  church  attendants,  and  accused 


( 


REV.  S.  HALL  YOUNG. 


i 


r 


i 


J 


WITCHCRAFT. 


193 


him  of  being  ‘  bad  medicine.’  They  carried  him  to 
Shus-tak’s  house,  stripped  him  naked,  tied  him 
most  cruelly  hand,  foot,  and  head,  and  put  him  into 
a  dark  hole  under  the  floor.  This  happened  at 
night.  The  next  morning  the  clerk  of  the  Custom- 
House  and  myself  went  over  to  the  house  where  all 
Shus-taks  and  Shaaks’  friends  were  assembled. 
They  were  very  determined  to  resist  any  encroach¬ 
ment  on  their  ancient  customs,  but  we  were  equally 
Arm  and  persistent  that  they  should  release  him,  and 
tie  up  nobody  else  without  first  consulting  us.  This 
they  at  length  did.  Although  angry  at  first,  they 
soon  saw  the  reasonableness  of  our  request.  Shaaks 
has  promised  to  come  to  church  and  bring  all  his 
followers.  Mrs.  Shus-taks  has  since  died, .and,  con- 
trarv  to  the  wish  of  all  his  friends,  her  husband  had 
her  burned.  Shaaks  is  rather  a  fine  young  man,  and 
professes  to  have  renounced  his  belief  in  witchcraft. 

“  I  have  been  canvassing  for  the  church  and  school. 
I  expect  to  raise  about  $600,  mostly  from  the  Indians, 
to  build  a  neat  church,  with  seating  capacity  for  two 
hundred  and  fifty.  Will  cost  about  $2500.  We  can  get 
undressed  lumber  here  for  ^22  per  1000,  and  dressed 
at  ^31.  We  will  need  a  large  school-house,  as  the 
native  population  is  large  and  increasing  monthly. 
All  the  educational  influences  for  this  whole  region 
will  centre  here.  Six  tribes  look  to  us  for  light. 
Next  season  I  expect  a  school  of  three  hundred  pu¬ 
pils.  Our  hope  is  in  the  young.  They  learn  rap¬ 
idly,  and  are  delighted  with  the  school.  We  have 
selected  a  good  location  on  the  first  bluff  above  the 
beach,  containing  two  acres.  It  was  presented  by 


194 


LAND  FOR  MISSION  BUILDINGS. 


Mr.  Lear.  We  will  commence  work  clearing  off  the 
brush  and  draining  it  at  once.  We  shall  proceed 
only  as  we  have  the  funds,  therefore  we  hope  the 
friends  of  the  mission  will  be  prompt  with  their  con¬ 
tributions. 

“  I  have  not  yet  figured  on  the  cost  of  a  Home  for 
Girls.  It  depends  entirely  on  the  number  of  girls 
the  Ladies’  Societies  will  support.  You  see  the 
needs  of  the  work  have  no  limit,  save  the  probability 
of  support. 

“  We  could  in  a  year  or  two  gather  into  the  Home 
a  large  number  of  interesting  girls  who  will  other¬ 
wise  be  lost.  I  do  hope  that  this  enterprise  of  all  the 
institutions  upon  this  coast  will  receive  the  support 
of  the  Christian  world.  It  is  essential  to  the  enlight¬ 
enment  of  the  people.  Unless  these  girls  are  shel¬ 
tered  and  saved,  our  preaching  will  largely  be  in 
vain.  Mrs.  McFarland  has  acted  wisely  in  founding  this 
protectorate.  It  was  absolutely  necessary.  We  were  com¬ 
pelled  by  the  urgency  of  the  cases  of  several  girls  to 
open  it  before  their  support  was  guaranteed.  We 
could  not  help  it.  And  now  we  trust  the  Presby¬ 
terian  Church  will  not  let  it  fail  for  want  of  funds. 
We  have  received  many  encouraging  promises,  but 
are  now  in  pressing  need  of  the  money.  Oh,  if  some 
Christian  would  endow  this  institution,  what  a  noble 
work  he  would  do  for  this  people  ! 

“  Mrs.  McFarland  is  exactly  fitted  to  be  the  matron 
of  such  a  home.  The  women  of  the  place  love  her 
as  a  mother.  She  has  been  offered  large  salaries  and 
easy  positions  elsewhere,  but  remains  here,  spending 
her  time,  great  energies,  and  private  funds  to  help 


CATECHETICAL  CLASS  ORGANIZED.  I95 


this  work.  She  has  had  a  severe  struggle  to  get 
started,  but  I  hope  her  heaviest  trials  are  past.  She 
merits  the  fullest  confidence  and  most  generous  sup¬ 
port  of  the  Church.  I  am  most  happy  in  having 
such  a  helper. 

“  We  were  much  disappointed  in  not  securing 
another  teacher  by  last  steamer.  The  pressure  of 
work  is  beyond  the  strength  of  Mrs.  McFarland  and 
myself.  The  Indians  come  to  me  more  and  more  for 
counsel  on  all  manner  of  questions.  I  never  dreamed 
of  having  such  a  weight  of  care. 

“  I  am  about  organizing  a  catechetical  class,  to 
train  material  for  elders,  deacons,  and  members.  I 
preach  twice  each  Sabbath  to  the  natives  and  once 
to  the  whites.  Our  congregations  are  large  and 
orderly.  Sabbath-school  is  immediately  after  morn¬ 
ing  service.  I  hope  you  will  be  able  to  stir  up  a 
great  interest  in  this  field.  The  next  few  years  will 
practically  decide  the  fate  of  many  tribes  on  this 
coast.  I  thank  you  for  what  you  have  done  and  are 
doing  for  these  poor  people.  God  bless  you. 

“  Your  brother  in  Christ, 

“  S.  Hall  Young.’* 


A  PUFFIN. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


Sketch  of  Sitka — Arrival  of  Rev,.  John  G.  Brady  and  Miss  Fannie 
E.  Kellogg — Commencement  of  School — Missionary  Journeys 
of  Mr.  Brady — Marriage  of  Miss  Kellogg — School  of  Mr.  Alonzo 
E.  Austin. 

‘  The  snowy  peaks  that  north  and  south  now  rise  to  summits  grand, 
Stood  here  the  ocean’s  tide  beside,  and  watched  it  near  at  hand. 
The  spirit  of  the  storms  kept  one,  and  when  his  robe  he  shook, 
The  roar  that  swept  the  clouds  along  was  heard  to  far  Chinook  ; 
’Twas  there  the  spirit  dwelt  whose  fires  flash  from  the  mountain’s 
shroud 

In  lightning  strokes  that  signal  when  shall  peal  the  stormy 
cloud — 

Dread  spirits,  born  of  gloomy  power,  whose  anger  sometimes 
woke 

In  jealous  wrath,  and  then  would  flash  the  lightning’s  fiery 
stroke  ; 

Then  thunder  with  its  muffled  roll  would  answer  peal  on  peal. 
And  fires  would  light  the  mountain-side  like  blows  of  flint  on 
steel.” 

Sitka,  Alaska,  has  had  a  varied  history.  The 
head-quarters  of  Russian  supremacy  in  the  North 
Pacific,  it  was  once  a  proud  commercial  city,  the 
centre  of  an  extensive  commerce,  and  capital  of  a 
large  province,  with  many  schools  and  seminaries. 
Here  Baron  Romanoff  for  years  ruled  as  governor 
with  despotic  hand.  The  castle,  once  the  abode  of 
Russia’s  proud  nobles,  still  crowns  the  hill.  The 


SITKA 


197 


officers’  quarters,  barracks,  and  club-house  still  re¬ 
main.  The  church,  built  in  the  form  of  a  Greek 


REAR  VIEW  OF  GREEK  CHURCH,  SITKA. 


cross,  with  its  emerald  green  dome  and  roof,  its  chime 
of  bells,  its  queer  interior  arrangement,  its  paintings, 
rich  vestments,  and  candlesticks  and  chandeliers  of 


198 


SITKA. 


massive  silver — all  speak  of  Russian  power.  The  old 
stockade,  from  whose  loop-holes  upon  occasion  dur¬ 
ing  the  Romanoff  dominion  poured  the  death-dealing 
ball  and  shot,  is  now  partly  in  ruins. 

Sitka  has  a  beautiful  island-studded  bay,  said  to 
equal  in  picturesqueness  the  Bay  of  Naples  or  Rio 
Janeiro.  Mount  Edgecumbe,  an  extinct  volcano, 
discovered  by  Bodega  in  1775,  still  guards  the  en¬ 
trance  to  the  bay,  while  the  sharp,  snowy  summit 
of  Vostovia,  surrounded  by  a  group  of  peaks  and 
glaciers,  stands  guard  in  the  rear.  The  opening 
gold  mines  and  the  great  salmon-canning  interests 
seem  now  to  hold  out  a  prospect  of  future  prosperity. 

The  bay  was  first  visited  by  Paranoff  in  1799,  who 
built  a  fort  which  he  called  Fort  Archangel  Gabriel, 
and  took  possession  of  the  country  for  Russia. 
Three  years  later  the  Indians  rose,  captured  the  fort, 
and  murdered  all  the  officers  and  thirty  men.  In 
1804  Baranoff  returned  and  recaptured  the  town  and 
built  Fort  Archangel  Michael,  the  settlement  taking 
the  name  of  New  Archangel.  From  1809  shipbuild¬ 
ing  became  one  of  the  active  industries  of  the  place. 
In  1810  the  place  was  visited  by  the  Enterprise,  one 
of^  the  ships  of  John  Jacob  Astor’s  fur  company. 
The  same  year  a  Greek  priest  arrived  in  a  sloop-of- 
war,  to  minister  unto  the  colonists.  The  first  resi¬ 
dent  physician  did  not  reach  Sitka  until  ten  years 
later. 

The  growth  and  importance  of  the  place  were 
finally  assured  in  1832,  when  Baron  Wrangell  trans¬ 
ferred  the  capital  of  Russian  America  from  St.  Paul 
to  Sitka.  In  1834  it  was  made  the  seat  of  a  bishopric, 


SITKA,  ALASKA. 


SCHOOLS 


201 


and  Father  Veniaminoff  made  bishop.  This  eminent 
prelate  was  afterward  recalled  to  Russia  and  made 
the  head  of  the  Greek  Church.  *  In  1837  the  first 
steam-engine  was  introduced  into  the  colony.  It 
came  from  Boston  with  a  cargo  of  whiskey  and  rum. 


THE  CASTLE  AND  CU  S  i  OM  ■  HO U  SE,  SlTJs.A. 


About  the  same  time  a  school  was  established  for  the 
children  of  the  employes  of  the  Russian  Fur  Com¬ 
pany.  In  1839  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  Etolin,  who 
greatly  increased  its  usefulness. 

In  1841  an  ecclesiastical  school  of  the  Greek  Church 
was  established  at  Sitka,  which  in  1845  was  raised  to 


202  ARRIVAL  OF  REV.  J.  G.  BRADY  AT  SITKA. 


the  rank  of  a  seminary.  In  this  school  were  taught 
arithmetic,  geography,  history,  book-keeping,  navi¬ 
gation,  geometry  arid  trigonometry,  and  the  Russian 
and  English  languages.  In  1845  the  first  school  was 
established  for  the  natives.  These  schools  were 
discontinued  at  the  time  of  the  American  occupation 
in  1867,  and  no  other  supplied  their  place  until  the 
arrival  of  Rev.  John  G.  Brady  and  Miss  Kellogg, 
Presbyterian  missionaries,  in  1878. 

Of  his  work  there  Rev.  Mr.  Brady  writes  : 

“  Sitka,  Alaska,  May,  1878. 

“  Rev.  Sheldon  Jackson,  D.D. 

“  Dear  Doctor  :  We  arrived  here  the  night  of 
April  the  nth.  Our  first  meeting  occurred  on  Sun¬ 
day  in  the  castle.  The  day  was  charming,  for  the 
clouds  had  vanished,  the  sun  was  warm,  and  the 
scenery  was  all  that  could  be  asked.  Far  out  be¬ 
yond  the  harbor,  protected  by  innumerable  green 
islets,  lay  the,  vast  Pacific,  in  a  sort  of  rolling  calm¬ 
ness.  At  another  point  rose  the  funnel-topped 
Edgecumbe,  crested  with  snow.  Back  of  the  town, 
and  as  far  down  the  coast  as  the  eye  can  reach,  we 
have  all  the  variety  of  grand  mountain  scenery. 
When  these  days  come  all  nature  seems  to  be  still 
with  solemnity,  and  one  appears  to  be  near  the  pres¬ 
ence-chamber  of  the  Almighty.  Alaska  scenery  has 
a  peculiar  effect  upon  my  emotions. 

“  The  castle  has  been  stripped  of  everything,  and 
is  in  a  dilapidated  condition.  As  we  began  to  sing 
some  of  the  Moody  and  Sankey  hymns,  the  Indians 
began  to  steal  in  and  squat  themselves  on  the  floor 


REV.  JOHN 


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SITKA  JACK. 


205 


along  the  wall.  Most  of  them  had  their  faces  paint¬ 
ed  black  ;  some  were  black  and  red,  and  a  few  had  ' 
the  whole  face  black  with  the  exception  of  the  right 
eye,  which  was  surrounded  with  a  coat  of  red.  All 
but  a  few  of  the  chiefs  were  in  their  bare  feet,  and 
wrapped  in  blankets  of  various  colors. 

‘‘  Sitka  Jack  is  the  chief  who  seems  to  have  the  most 
influence  among  them,  and  he  is  their  orator.  He 
and  Annahootz,  the  war  chief,  were  clad  in  some  old 
suits  of  the  naval  officers  who  have  been  here.  They 
think  a  great  deal  of  the  buttons,  shoulder-pieces 
and  the  like.  Several  wore  soldiers’  caps.  The 
rest  were  bareheaded. 

“  The  natives  along  the  coast  from  Cape  Fox  to 
Mount  St.  Elias,  speak  the  same  tongue.  Mr.  Cohen, 
a  Jew  who  keeps  a  store  here,  kindly  volunteered 
to  hunt  up  the  old  Russian  interpreter.  This  man 
is  about  sixty  years  old.  He  is  a  half-breed.  The 
Russian  American  Fur  Company  took  him,  when 
a  boy,  and  educated  him  for  a  priest  to  the  natives  ; 
but  for  some  reason  he  was  never  ordained  to  that 
office.  He  has  always  been  employed  as  interpreter. 
He  speaks  both  languages  well,  and  can  read  and 
write  the  Russian.  Mr.  George  Kastrometinoff  turned 
my  English  into  Russian,  and  the  interpreter  turned 
that  into  good  Indian.  The  people  listened  very 
attentively  to  all  that  I  had  to  say.  Jack,  becoming 
impatient  to  speak,  broke  into  a  gesticulating  speech, 
telling  how  bad  they  were  heretofore,  fighting  and 
killing  one  another.  Now  they  were  glad  that  they 
were  going  to  have  a  school  and  a  church,  and  peo¬ 
ple  to  teach  them.  After  him  Annahootz  took  the 


2o6 


CHURCH  SERVICE. 


floor  and  made  an  emphatic  speech,  approving  all 
that  we  had  told  them. 

“  I  explained  to  them  why  we  wished  them  to  go 
to  school,  and  the  advantages  which  they  would  have 
if  they  would  learn  English.  I  centred  everything 
upon  the  Bible,  and  tried  to  impress  upon  their 
minds  its  value  to  all  men,  because  it  is  God  speak¬ 
ing  to  us  when  we  read  it. 

“Jack  asked  the  people  whether  they  liked  what 
we  had  said,  and  after  some  talk  among  themselves 
they  all  said,  ‘  Yes.’  Mr.  Francis  and  several  miners 
were  present.  They  expressed  themselves  as  sur¬ 
prised  to  see  the  Indian  consent  so  readily  and  act 
so  heartily  and  with  such  straightforwardness. 

“  We  held  but  one  service  that  day,  as  it  had  lasted 
several  hours.  There  were  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  persons  present.  This  was  rather  a  small 
number  for  Sitka,  since  there  are  over  one  thousand 
who  live  in  the  village.  Many  have  gone  off  to  trade 
and  hunt  ;  they  will  return  in  two  moons. 

“  I  hired  some  Indians,  and  we  all  worked  hard  to 
put  the  upper  floor  of  the  soldiers’  barracks  in  trim 
for  our  school  and  church  services.  Mr.  Whitford, 
who  bought  nearly  everything  which  the  soldiers 
left,  sold  us  twenty  benches,  a  stove,  cord  of  wood, 
two  brooms,  and  a  box  of  chalk.  The  Russian  priest 
loaned  us  a  blackboard  with  half-inch  cracks  between 
the  boards.  These  things,  together  with  two  tables, 
make  up  the  list  of  our  furniture.  The  school  opened 
on  Wednesday,  April  17th,  with  fifty  present,  and 
after  asking  God’s  blessing  upon  this  beginning  of  a 
work,  which  will  surely  prove  to  be  one  of  the  most 


SCHOOL 


207 


interesting  in  the  history  of  missions,  we  began  with 
ABC.  It  is  a  real  pleasure  to  teach  these  people, 
for  they  are  anxious  to  learn,  and  take  right  hold. 
They  have  bright  intellects.  The  progress  which 
they  have  made  in  the  past  month  is  a  matter  of 
amazement  to  me.  There  are  thirteen  now  reading 
in  the  primer,  and  twenty-five  have  learned  all  the 


THE  BARRACKS,  USED  AS  A  SCHOOL-ROOM. 

large  letters.  We  have  but  six  primers.  This  want 
of  apparatus  retards  the  work  very  much.  Miss  Kel¬ 
logg  has  been  careful  to  see  that  they  do  not  learn 
in  the  parrot  manner.  They  are  taught  the  meaning 
of  what  they  learn.  They  have  learned  ‘  Hold  the 
Fort  ’  and  three  or  four  more  tunes,  which  they  sing 
well.  At  some  of  our  services  over  three  hundred 
have  been  present. 


208 


CLIMATE — PRODUCTIONS. 


“If  our  churches  had  known  the  facts  concerning 
this  people,  and  the  wonderful  coast  upon  which 
they  live,  missionaries  would  have  been  sent  out 
years  ago.  The  money  spent  in  teaching  and  Chris¬ 
tianizing  these  people  will  not  be  thrown  away. 
‘  Blessed  are  they  which  do  hunger  and  thirst  after 
righteousness  :  for  they  shall  be  filled.’  This  prom¬ 
ise  will  surely  be  fulfilled  to  these  people,  for  they 
are  hungering  and  thirsting  for  more  light.  It  would 
be  a  great  wrong  for  the  Church  to  neglect  these 
people  longer. 

“  I  hope  that  before  the  leaves  fall  we  shall  be 
able  to  organize  the  Presbytery  of  Alaska.  This 
will  be  a  great  thing  for  this  Territory,  which  has 
been  so  wilfully  misrepresented  to  the  public.  Such 
a  body  can  be  the  source  of  information  concerning 
the  people  and  the  country  and  its  resources  which 
will  be  trusted  by  the  reading  public. 

“  There  has  been  no  ice  in  Sitka  this  last  winter, 
and  very  little  snow  fell.  The  tops  of  the  7^ain-barrels 
did  not  fi'ceze  to  the  thickness  of  a  knife-blade.  Since  I 
came  here  I  have  planted  a  large  garden  in  peas,  po¬ 
tatoes,  lettuce,  onions,  turnips,  and  other  vegeta¬ 
bles.  Most  of  these  plants  are  now  up.  Nearly 
every  vegetable  that  has  been  tried  does  well,  beans 
and  cucumbers  excepted.  Small  fruits,  such  as 
strawberries,  currants,  gooseberries  and  the  like,  do 
very  well  and  have  a  rich  flavor.  Cauliflower,  cab¬ 
bage,  and  celery  do  especially  well.  People  are  slow 
to  believe  such  statements  when  they  look  at  the 
map  and  find  Sitka  in  57"  3'  north  latitude. 

“I  came  here  expecting  to  find  about  the  lowest 


RELIABILITY  OF  THE  NATIVES. 


209 


grade  of  people  on  the  globe.  In  all  my  journey 
from  New  York  to  Sitka  I  received  but  very  few 
words  of  encouragement  from  those  who  knew  my 
mission.  I  now  know  that  the  people  of  our  country 
are  ignorant  in  regard  to  the  people  and  resources 
of  this  grand  system  of  archipelagoes.  There  are 
several  miners  here  in  Sitka  who  have  been  among 
the  Indians  since  1S49,  and  are  thoroughly  informed 
in  regard  to  customs,  habits,  mental  powers,  etc.,  of 
the  various  tribes  in  the  gold  regions.  These  men 
say  that  the  Alaska  Indians  are  in  all  respects  su¬ 
perior  to  those  on  the  plains.  They  build  good,  per¬ 
manent  houses.  They  store  up  supplies  of  food 
when  fish,  berries,  and  the  like  are  in  season.  They 
will  do  hard  work,  and  are  always  anxious  to  be  em¬ 
ployed.  An  officer  of  a  steamboat  which  plies  on 
the  Stickeen  told  me  that  whenever  he  hired  an  In¬ 
dian  to  chop  so  many  cords  of  wood,  and  to  have  it 
at  a  certain  place,  he  was  sure  to  find  the  contract 
strictly  fulfilled.  The  Cassiar  miners  in  British  Co¬ 
lumbia  employ  them  constantly  in  packing,  chop¬ 
ping,  and  in  doing  all  kinds  of  hard  work.  They  are 
self-supporting. 

“  This  part  of  Alaska  abounds  in  food.  Yester¬ 
day  I  bought  four  codfish  for  ten  cents,  and  a  string 
of  black  bass  for  five  cents.  A  silver  salmon,  weigh¬ 
ing  thirty-eight  to  forty  pounds,  is  sold  for  fifteen 
or  twenty  cents.  Last  week  I  bought  fifteen  dozen 
fresh  clams  for  ten  cents,  and  about  twenty  pounds 
of  halibut  for  the  same  price.  Ducks,  geese,  grouse, 
and  snipe  are  abundant  and  cheap.  A  good  ham  of 


210 


NATIVE  SKILL. 


venison  will  bring  fifty  cents.  In  season  berries  are 
gathered  by  the  bushel. 

“  These  natives  are  very  saving  of  anything  to 
which  the  least  value  is  attached.  Some  of  the  chiefs 
are  worth  six  or  eight  thousand  dollars  in  blankets, 
houses,  skins,  and  the  like.  Some  are  wealthy  on  ac¬ 
count  of  their  slaves.  The  invention  of  these  people 
is  remarkable.  Their  canoes  are  perfect.  Some  of 
these  are  very  large,  holding  three  or  four  tons. 
They  carve  out  all  sorts  of  toys  illustrating  their 
mythology. 

“  Some  of  them  devote  their  time  to  making 
jewelry,  a  thing  of  which  they  are  all  fond.  Hydah 
John  has  done  a  great  deal  of  work  at  Wrangell  for 
the  miners,  in  the  way  of  rings,  bracelets,  and  pins. 
One  fellow  here  at  Sitka  labored  for  a  long  time  in 
trying  to  make  a  watch  !  Nearly  everything  that 
they  use  has  some  sort  of  carving  on  it — their  halibut- 
hooks,  knife-handles,  spoons,  pipes,  baskets,  dancing 
apparatus,  etc.  This  talent  could  be  cultivated  and 
made  a  source  of  income  to  them. 

“  Your  brother  in  Christ, 

“John  G.  Brady.” 

Miss  Kellogg  writes  : 

“Sitka,  Alaska,  October,  1878. 

“  Dear  Sir  :  Our  school  has  proved  a  success,  and 
the  advancement  of  the  scholars  has  been  a  surprise 
to  every  one.  For  a  time  they  were  very  irregular 
at  the  opening  in  the  morning,  but  discovering  that 
the  larger  scholars  were  very  fond  of  writing  (that 
they  might  be  like  Americans),  I  made  it  the  first  ex- 


A  SINGING-SCHOOL. 


21 1 


ercise  after  the  opening  service.  Very  few  of  them 
are  tardy  now.  As  far  as  possible,  I  give  them  ob¬ 
ject  words  for  copy,  requiring  them  to  spell  all  out. 
I  then  pronounce  it  in  English,  and  then  give  them 
the  equivalent  Indian  word,  that  they  may  know 
what  they  are  writing  about.  After  writing  a  dozen 
lines,  the  English  words  are  impressed  upon  their 
minds.  They  are  stimulated  to  do  well,  as  the  one 
who  takes  the  most  pains  gets  a  straight  line  or  in¬ 
ventive  drawing  lessons. 

“  Two  young  men  who  have  been  only  a  few  weeks 
in  the  school  are  in  multiplication  in  arithmetic. 
They  also  have  a  perfect  knowledge  of  notation,  and 
can  write  or  tell  me  the  most  difficult  numbers. 

“  Each  Eriday  evening  we  have  a  singing-school. 
Last  week  I  told  them  that  they  could  not  be  Ameri¬ 
can  men  until  they  could  whistle  ‘  Yankee  Doodle.’ 
They  caught  the  air  at  once.  ^They  are  extremely 
fond  of  music,  and  have  learned  the  air  of  many  of 
Sankey’s  hymns.  The  hymn  ‘  Come  to  Jesus  ’  hav¬ 
ing  much  repetition,  they  have  learned  the  English 
words. 

“  A  week  ago  Sunday,  the  benches  were  all  full, 
and  the  people  seemed  greatly  interested.  Forty- 
three  remained  at  Sabbath-school.  In  four  Sabbaths 
they  committed  the  first  two  verses  of  the  23d  Psalm, 
so  that  even  those  who  could  not  say  another  word 
in  English  could  repeat  them  perfectly. 

“  We  have  had  a  funeral  and  wedding.  Captain 
Jack  has  had  a  rather  bad  reputation.  He  is,  how¬ 
ever,  a  good-natured  Indian,  and  since  the  wedding 
ceremony  calls  himself  a  Christian.  He  has  given 


212 


TEMPERANCE. 


up  drinking,  and  has  not  tasted  a  drop  for  four 
months.  He  says,  ‘  Me  drink  no  more.’  I  have  ex¬ 
plained  to  him  the  temperance  pledge,  and  as  he  can 
write  his  name  he  is  anxious  to  sign  one.  I  have 
tried  to  impress  upon  him  the  solemnity  of  the 
pledge,  and  that  it  would  be  a  very  sad  thing  if  he 
broke  it.  I  think  at  no  distant  day  a  little  temper¬ 
ance  society  could  be  established  here.  Jack  says 
that  he  wants  to  be  good  just  as  soon  as  he  can  learn 
how.  Poor  fellow,  he  needs  the  prayers  of  Chris¬ 
tians. 

“In  consequence  of  his  sobriety  he  was' retained 
at  a  salmon-cannery  until  the  last  hand  was  dis¬ 
charged  for  the  season.  Returning  with  his  wages, 
he  bought  some  good  clothing  for  church  ;  also  a 
nice  calico  dress  and  silk  handkerchief  and  shawl 
for  his  wife.  On  the  following  Sabbath  she  had  the 
handkerchief  on  her  head.  Meeting  him  afterward, 
I  said,  ‘  Jack,  the  next  article  you  buy  for  Mary  must 
be  a  hat,  that  she  may  look  as  well  as  the  Fort 
Wrangell  women,  who  have  nice  gloves,  collars,  neck¬ 
ties,’  etc.  Last  Saturday  they  came  to  my  house  to 
show  me  his  purchases — a  muslin  dress,  which  he 
wished  me  to  show  her  how  to  make  just  like  mine, 
two  hats  (a  straw  and  velvet),  a  pair  of  gloves,  and  a 
green  ribbon  for  a  tie.  I  gave  her  collars  and  cuffs 
to  complete  the  outfit.  Jack  is  very  proud  of  hei, 
and  in  her  new  rig  she  is  styled  the  ‘  belle  of  the 
city.  ’ 

Mr.  Brady  succeeded  in  procuring  the  signatures 
of  all  the  merchants  to  an  agreement  that  they  would 
send  for  no  more  molasses  for  rum,  but  the  next 


HOOCHINOO. 


213 


Steamer  brought  a  large  cargo  of  brown  sugar. 
Even  this  is  an  improvement. 

“Dick  says,  ‘When  molasses  plenty,  hoochinoo^ 
(rum)  two  bits  a  bottle  ;  plenty  Indian  buy  rum. 
When  rum  two  dollars  a  bottle,  nobody  buys.’  The 
manufacture  of  rum  must  be  stopped  before  these 
people  can  ever  become  Christianized. 

“  Truly  3^ours, 

“  Fannie  E.  Kellogg.” 

“Sitka,  Alaska. 

“  Dear  Doctor  :  I  have  just  returned  from  a 
missionary  visit  to  the  Hoonas.  Indeed,  I  have  re¬ 
cently  made  two  canoe  vo^mges,  carrying  with  me 
provisions,  blankets,  and  gun.  The  one  was  to  the 
Hoonas,  upon  Chicagoff  Island,  and  the  other  to  the 
Kootsnoos  and  Litsuhquins,  on  Admiralty  Island. 
Several  times  the  canoe  came  near  being  lost  in  the 
chopping  seas.  The  larger  part  of  the  time  I  was 
wet  from  the  spray  dashing  over  us.  I  preached 
boldly  against  witchcraft  and  the  medicine-men, 
against  gambling,  drunkenness,  and  licentiousness. 
I  took  with  me  to  the  Hoonas  a  magic-lantern  and 
some  fine  views  of  the  Holy  Land.  You  may  imagine 
the  astonishment  of  these  people,  who  rarely  ever  see 
a  white  man.  I  exhibited  on  two  nights.  On  the  sec¬ 
ond  night,  Charlie,  the  interpreter,  asked  me  to  let 

*  Hoo-chi-noo,  a  rum  distilled  by  the  natives  cf  Alaska  from 
molasses.  Their  distillery  is  a  very  simple  affair,  being  two  dis¬ 
carded  kerosene  oil  cans,  and  the  long  hollow  root  of  the  sea¬ 
weed  for  a  pipe.  Hoo-chi-noo  is  the  name  of  the  tribe  that  first 
manufactured  it.  They  were  taught  by  a  discharged  soldier. 


214 


MISSIONARY  TOUR. 


the  views  of  Jesus  raising  Lazarus,  Jairus’  daughter, 
and  Jesus  walking  on  the  water  remain  a  longer 
time,  as  the  people  liked  to  see  them.  I  had  been 
talking  to  them  about  Jesus  during  the  mornings. 
They  are  an  interesting  people,  and  something 
should  be  done  for  them. 

“  One  day  when  we  were  among  the  icebergs  which 
come  down  from  one  of  the  glaciers  in  Cross  Sound, 
we  came  across  one  of  the  leading  men.  He  was 
dressed  in  citizens’  clothes,  and  had  a  good  canoe 
and  three  strong  men.  We  took  him  aboard.  He 
showed  some  good  testimonials  which  had  been  given 
him  without  solicitation.  The  next  day  he  came  and 
brought  with  him  another  leader  and  his  son.  This 
gave  me  an  opportunity  to  speak  to  them,  for  Shu- 
koff,  my  interpreter,  was  with  me.  They  all  knew 
what  was  going  on  in  Sitka.  After  talking  to  them 
for  some  time  they  replied  that  they  had  been  told 
that  there  was  a  God,,  and  they  believed  that  there 
was,  but  that  they  knew  very  little  about  him.  They 
would  be  very  happy  to  have  some  one  come  and 
teach  them  what  is  right  and  what  God  wants  them 
to  do.  I  asked  if  they  would  like  to  have  thgir  chil¬ 
dren  goto  school.  They  replied,  ‘Very  much  ;  but 
we  are  afraid  that  they  can’t  learn  well,  like  the  chil¬ 
dren  at  Sitka.  For  they  are  close  to  white  men,  and 
hear  them,  but  we  do  not  know  one  word.’  I  as¬ 
sured  them  that  the  children  would  do  well,  for  they 
would  have  less  to  draw  them  away  from  school. 
They  said  that  their  people  wanted  to  become  civil¬ 
ized,  but  they  knew  that  some  of  the  other  tribes 
did  not  care  to  become  so,  but  they  thought  that 


Marriage  of  rev.  s.  hall  young.  215 


their  jealousy  would  be  excited  if  they  saw  them  do¬ 
ing  well.  They  said  that  they  would  help  build  a 
school-house.  Now  here  is  a  tribe  ready  for  the 
Gospel,  and  the  circumstances  are  all  favorable,  for 
they  are  sensible  people,  but  little  given  to  hoochmoo 
— far  away  from  the  whites,  and  are,  therefore,  vir¬ 
tuous.  They  have  a  home  delightful  for  its  scenery, 
and  its  shelter  is  close  to  some  of  the  grandest 
sights  on  the  globe,  and  they  support  themselves. 
If  we  could  only  anticipate  the  miners  by  three 
years,  untold  misery  and  vice  would  be  prevented. 
The  miners  are  coming,  however,  and  are  beginning 
to  prospect,  working  in  toward  the  sources  of  the 
Yukon.  Your  brother  in  Christ, 

“  John  G.  Brady.” 

In  December,  1878,  Miss  Kellogg  was  married  to 
Rev.  S.  Hall  Young,  of  Fort  Wrangell,  and  removed 
from  Sitka  to  her  new  home.  Upon  her  departure 
the  school  was  suspended  until  the  fall  of  1879,  when 
Mr.  Alonzo  E.  Austin,  of  New  York,  at  the  invitation 
of  the  citizens,  reopened  it  with  sixty  pupils. 

In  January,  i88o,  the  Board  of  Home  Missions  ap¬ 
pointed  Rev.  G.  W.  Lyons  as  missionary  to  Sitka, 
and  Miss  Olinda  A.  Austin,  daughter  of  Mr.  Alonzo 
E.  Austin,  as  missionary  teacher. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


\ppeal  for  Funds  for  Mission  Buildings — The  Response — Joy  at 
the  Mission — Arrival  of  Dr.  Corlies  and  Family — Coming  of  the 
Roman  Catholics — Arrival  of  Miss  Maggie  J.  Dunbar  as  Teacher 
— Visit  of  Rev.  Henry  Kendall,  D.D.,  and  others — Rejoicing  of 
the  Indians — Organization  of  the  Church — Erection  of  Buildings. 

“  Pity  the  Red  Man  !  scattered  and  peeled, 

Smitten  and  wounded,  yet  scorning  to  yield  ; 

Prairie  and  forest  and  lake  were  his  own. 

Now  he  must  wander,  sad,  homeless,  and  lone. 

Hasten  !  he  stands  on  the  farthermost  shore  ; 

Haughty,  intrepid,  but  loath  to  implore  ; 

Pilot  his  bark  o’er  the  fathomless  flood  ; 

Lead  him  to  pardon,  to  Heaven,  to  God.” 

Rev.  P.  Bevan. 

The  prominent  events  in  the  history  of  Alaska  mis¬ 
sions  for  1879  were  the  appeal  for  funds  for  the 
erection  of  mission  buildings  at  Fort  Wrangell,  the 
erection  of  those  buildings,  the  organization  of  the 
Fort  Wrangell  Presbyterian  Church,  and  the  visit  of 
Rev.  Henry  Kendall,  D.D.,  and  party. 

Dr.  Kendall  and  -myself,  in  addition  to  our  mis¬ 
sionary  duties,  were  a  commission  of  the  United 
States  Government,  being  officially  requested  by 
the  Hon.  John  Sherman,  Secretary  of  the  United 
States  Treasury  (who  has  the  super\ision  of  Alaska 


217 


THE  SAet:  giulS. 

affairs),  to  make  him  a  report  upon  the  condition  of 
the  native  population,  which  we  did  upon  our  re¬ 
turn.  We  also  sent  a  renort  to  the  Hon.  Carl  Schurz, 
Secretary  of  the  Interior,  wno  replied  with  a  letter 
of  congratulations  upon  the  success  of  the  school  at 
Fort  Wrangell,  and  recommenaed  an  application  to 
Congress  for  a  grant  for  educational  purposes  in 
Alaska. 

Mrs.  McFarland  felt,  from  tlie  very  commence¬ 
ment  of  the  mission,  the  need  of  a  “  Home”  into 
which  she  could  gather  such  promising  girls  as 
were  in  danger  of  being  sold,  and  train  them  up  to 
be  the  future  Christian  teachers,  wives,  and  mothers 
of  their  people. 

Among  a  people  where  heathenism  crushes  out  a 
mother’s  love  and  turns  her  heart  to  stone — where 
for  a  few  blankets  a  motner  will  sell  her  own  daughter 
for  a  week,  a  month,  or  lor  years — she  found  that  her 
brightest  and  most  promising  pupils  where  those 
who  were  in  the  greatest  danger.  As  they  improved 
their  advanages  in  the  mission  school,  it  manifested 
itself  in  their  external  appearance.  They  began  to 
comb  their  hair  more  smoothly,  to  dress  more  neatly, 
and  keep  their  persons  more  cieanly.  Their  dull,  stolid 
countenances  began  to  light  up  with  intelligence. 
They  became  mor,e  atI^^^ctlve  ;  and  as  their  attrac¬ 
tions  increased,  white  men  were  me  more  anxious  to 
buy  them  for  base  purooses. 

Again  and  again  Mrs.  McFarland  had  to  interpose 
to  save  her  school-girls  from  lives  of  sin.  One  time 
she  rescued  one,  a  girl  of  not  over  eleven  years,  from 
a  white  man  who  had.  nis  arm  around  her  on  the 


21^  A  HOME  NEEDED. 

street,  and  was  trying  to  force  and  coax  her  to  his 
house.  At  another  time  a  white  man  went  to  the 
home  of  one  of  her  pupils — an  orphan  girl — and  hold¬ 
ing  out  a  handful  of  money  rattled  it  before  her 
eyes,  saying  that  she  could  have  all  the  money  she 
wanted  to  buy  nice  clothes  with  if  she  would  go  and 
live  with  him.  Upon  another  occasion  one  of  her 
pupils  came  to  her  with  tears,  telling  how  her  mother 
had  sold  her  for  fifteen  or  twenty  blankets,  and  be¬ 
seeching  Mrs.  McFarland  to  intercede  witli  her 
mother,  as  she  did  not  wish  to  live  such  a  life. 

Again  and  again  her  pupils,  having  been  thus  sold 
by  their  own  mothers,  have  frantically  clung  to  her, 
imploring  her  to  save  them. 

During  1878  the  pressure  steadily  increased  month 
by  month,  and  the  necessity  of  such  a  Home  more 
imperative. 

Month  after  month  she  sent  the  most  touching  ap¬ 
peals  to  the  Ladies’  Societies  for  funds  to  commence 
the  Home.  Day  after  day,  with  a  heard  burdened 
for  the  daughters  of  this  people,  she  went  into  her 
room,  and  with  an  agony  that  at  times  could  not 
find  expression  in  words,  besought  that  God,  who 
controls  all  hearts,  would  touch  some,  and  raise  up 
helpers.  It  was  the  cry  of  great  need  and  sore  dis¬ 
tress. 

Letters  were  received  from  various  sections  of  the 
Church  expressing  a  warm  interest  in  the  w’^ork,  but 
no  funds  came. 

While  the  church  waited  and  the  women  of 
Alaska  perished,  the  providence  of  God  interposed, 
and  the  Home  was  commenced  October  12th,  1878. 


A  MOTHER  PROPOSING  TO  SELL  HER  DAUGHTER.  219 

Katy,  one  of  the  school-giris,  fourteen  years  of 
age,  who  had  attended  the  school  from  the  com¬ 
mencement,  was  about  to  be  taken  up  the  river  and 
sold  to  the  miners  by  her  mother.  Mrs.  McFarland, 
hearing  of  it,  took  Mrs.  Dickinson  with  her  and  start¬ 
ed  to  visit  the  family,  who  lived  over  on  the  island. 
When  they  reached  the  point  where  they  usually 
crossed,  the  tide  was  so  .high  they  could  not  get  over. 
By  signs  they  attracted  Katy’s  attention,  who  came 
across  in  a  canoe.  She  was  sent  back  for  her  mother, 
who  came  over.  There  for  an  hour  and  a  half,  seated 
on  a  rock  by  the  shore  in  a  pouring  rain,  Mrs.  McFar¬ 
land  pleaded  with  that  heathen  mother  until  she 
promised  not  to  take  Katy  away.  But  the  ne.xtweek 
the  mother  broke  her  promise,  and  tried  to  compel  her 
daughter  to  accompany  her  to  the  mines.  The  canoe 
was  prepared,  and  the  mother  took  her  seat;  the  blank¬ 
ets,  provisions,  and  younger  children  were  in  their 
places,  but  the  little  girl  lingered  on  the  shore.  The 
mother  ordered  her  in,  threatening  her  with  all  man¬ 
ner  of  terrible  things.  The  child  hesitated,  crying  and 
begging  most  piteously.  Finally,  when  they  would 
have  put  her  in  by  force,  the  little  girl,  straightening 
herself  up,  said,  “  Mother,  you  may  kill  me,  but  I  will 
not  go  with  you  and  live  a  life  of  sin.” 

She  then  ran  into  the  woods  and  hid.  When  her 
mother  had  gone  she  came  out  and  claimed  Mrs.  Mc¬ 
Farland’s  protection. 

Then  a  bright-eyed  little  girl  of  twelve  years,  who 
was  about  to  be  sold,  having  learned  better  things 
in  the  school,  came  begging  Mrs.  McFarland  to  save 
her,  and  thus  a  second  was  added  to  the  Home. 


220  AN  APPEAL  FOR  THE  HOME. 

Without  furniture  and  without  means,  the  enterprise 
began  in  the  house  kindly  rented  for  the  work  by 
Mr.  Vanderbilt.  It  is  a  large  two-storied  structure, 
well  suited  for  the  purpose.  The-  Home  being  com¬ 
menced,  the  necessity  was  upon  the  Church  to  pro¬ 
vide  for  permanent  buildings. 

In  this  exigency,  corresponding  with  Mrs,  Julia 
McNair  Wright,  whose  pen  and  talents  are  ever  at 
the  service  of  the  Church,  it  was  agreed  that  she  and 
myself  should  write  a  series  of  appeals  to  the  Church, 
to  contribute,  as  a  Christmas  offering,  the  funds  nec¬ 
essary  for  the  erection  of  these  buildings.  This  was 
done. 

Mrs.  Wright  closed  one  of  her  articles  with  the 
following  touching  appeal  : 

“  O  mothers  of  our  Church,  every  one  of  you  who 
holds  a  baby  girl  on  your  knee,  see  in  her  face  the 
pleading  of  that  babe  cast  out  in  cold  woods  to  die  ! 
In  .the  name  of  Him  who  blessed  the  little  children, 
give  something,  even  if  the  veriest  mite,  to  this 
Home.  O  you  mothers  of  these  dear  young  girls, 
every  one  whose  home  is  made  fairer  by  a  daughter’s 
face,  give  something  to  save  these  other  girls  from 
shame  and  anguish,  something  to  help  us  teach  these 
other  mothers  how  great  a  boon  a  little  maiden  may 
be  at  her  own  fireside.  The  proposal  is  to  make  this 
Home  for  Alaskan  girls  the  Christmas  gift  of  our 
Presbyterian  women  to  their  Lord.  Mothers,  wives, 
sisters,  daughters,  friends,  can  you  now  prepare  your 
Christmas  gifts  for  your  kindred  and  acquaintance, 
and  send  nothing,  not  one  dollar,  to  this  Christmas 
gift  for  our  Lord  ?  Ah,  better  that  there  should  be 


SUCCESS  OF  THE  APPEAL. 


221 


a  little  less,  and  not  our  choicest  guest  forgotten. 
Let  us'  have  a  grand,  warm-hearted  response  ;  let 
each,  according  to  their  ability,  send  to  the  Home 
Board  a  gift  marked,  ‘  For  the  Girls’  Home  in 
Alaska.’” 

The  Ladies’  Board  of  Missions  consented  to  receive 
the  funds.  The  appeal  was  successful.  Contribu¬ 
tions  flowed  in  from  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  Gulf. 
The  freed-women  of  the  South  joined  their  gifts  with 
the  wealthy  of  the  cities.  The  women  rallied  from 
the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  and  in  many  a  mission 
home  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  earnest  prayer  ac¬ 
companied  their  gifts  on  Christmas  morning  for  far- 
off  Alaska. 

In  February  I  was  able  to  write  to  the  missionaries 
at  Fort  \T ranged,  who  were  anxiously  waiting  the 
result  of  the  appeal,  “  God  has  heard  your  prayers. 
The  Church  is  responding  nobly.  Two  thousand 
five  hundred  dollars  have  been  received,  and  more  is 
coming.”  This  sum  eventually  reached  between 
four  and  five  thousand  dollars.  The  response  from 
the  missionaries  was  what  might  have  been  expected. 

Rev.  S.  Hall  Younff  wrote  : 

O 

“Fort  Wrangell,  Alaska,  March  ii,  1879. 

”  Rev.  Sheldon  Jackson,  D.D. 

”  My  Very  Dear  Brother  :  Your  letter  of  Feb¬ 
ruary  15th  has  caused  great  rejoicing  at  the  mission. 
It  is  the  king  of  all  the  letters  we  have  received. 
Our  hopes  novv  have  eagles’  wings.  God  is  better 
than  our  fears..  The  future  that  this  mission  merits 
seems  likely  now  to  be  at  last  proximately  realized, 


222 


THANKS  OF  THE  MISSIONARIES. 


And  to  you,  under  God,  we  give  hearty  thanks  as 
the  kind  instrument  of  this  change  for  the  better  in 
our  prospects.  You  have  our  gratitude  far  beyond 
any  other  man.  You  have  proved  yourself  an  un¬ 
selfish,  self-sacrificing,  earnest  friend  of  Alaska  and 
its  missionaries.  We  are  all  your  firm  and  grateful 
friends,  and  pray  always  for  your  success  and  wel¬ 
fare  ” 

Mrs.  A.  R.  McFarland  wrote  : 

“  There  has  been  a  song  in  my  heart  ever  since  the 
mail  arrived  with  the  news  of  the  noble  response  of 
the  Church  to  the  call  in  the  Rocky  Alountain  Presby¬ 
terian  for  funds  to  build  the  ‘  Home.’ 

“  I  felt  sure  if  we  trusted  him,  God  would,  in  his 
own  good  time,  send  us  the  help  we  so  much  needed. 
We  feel  that  this  is  the  beginning  of  glorious  times 
for  this  mission.  Suitable  buildings  for  our  work 
will  enable  us  to  accomplish  so  much  more  for  Christ. 

“We  are  very  much  rejoiced  to  hear  that  Dr. 
Kendall  and  yourself  are  proposing  to  visit  this  mis¬ 
sion.  The  Lord  bring  you  to  us  in  safety.  I  wish 
every  Christian  could  come  and  see  with  their  own 
eyes  the  great  destitutions  and  needs  of  this  field.” 

Rev.  John  G.  Brady,  of  Sitka,  then  in  the  East, 
wrote  : 

New  York  City,  March  20,  1879. 

“  Dear  Dr.  Jackson  :  .  .  .  You  have  done  more 
than  any  other  one  in  stirring  up  an  interest  in  Alaska. 
Dr.  Hastings  to-day  spoke  of  the  time  when  you  had 
the  large  map  in  his  church,  Nearly  all  the  funds 


VIGILANCE  COMMITTEE. 


223 


which  have  been  raised  must  be  credited  to  your 
zeal.  I  wish  that  you  had  wings  like  an  eagle,  that 
you  might  soar  over  the  whole  of  Alaska,  and  then 
tell  in  the  Rocky  Afouiitain  P resbyterian  what  you  saw. 
Your  appeals,  I  perceive,  have  come  down  with  trip¬ 
hammer  force.” 

These  letters  were  followed  by  a  unanimous  vote 
of  thanks  from  the  Presbytery  of  Puget  Sound,  the 
nearest  presbytery  to  Alaska. 

We  now  return  to  Mrs.  McFarland’s  letter-history 
of  the  mission  ; 


“Fort  Wrangell,  Alaska,  Jan.  8,  1879. 

“  Dr.  Jackson. 

”  Dear  Brother  :  After  I  had  written  you  last 
month,  a  white  man  killed  another  in  a  billiard-saloon. 
The  mob  took  possession  of  the  murderer,  and  would 
have  hung  him  on  the  spot,  but  the  more  thoughtful 
ones  prevented  them.  They  organized  a  court  and 
gave  him  a  regular  trial.  He  was  convicted  and  sen¬ 
tenced  to  death.  They  proceeded  at  once  to  erect  a 
gallows  in  the  main  street  in  the  village.  Hearing 
that  he  was  to  be  hung,  I  felt  that,  as  Mr.  Young 
was  away,  I  must  go  and  see  him.  He  professed 
great  indifference  to  the  future,  although  I  could 

*  By  an  oversight  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1876  in  consti¬ 
tuting  the  Synod  of  the  Columbia  (see  pages  75  and  76,  Vol.  4, 
New  Series,  of  Minutes  of  the  Assembly),  and  defining  the  bound¬ 
aries  of  the  several  presbyteries  thereof,  Alaska  was  left  within 
the  bounds  of  the  Synod  of  the  Pacific,  where  it  was  placed  by  the 
General  Assembly  of  1870.  (See  Minutes  of  Assembly,  page  87, 
Vol.  I,  New  Series.) 


224 


A  CHRISTMAS  TREE. 


see  that  it  was  forced.  Twice  in  the  night,  how¬ 
ever,  he  sent  for  me.  He  was  then  in  great  distress 
of  mind,  but  got  no  peace.  He  told  me  that  he  had 
Christian  parents  (Presbyterian),  but  that  he  had  not 
heard  a  prayer  for* twenty  vears  until  I  prayed  with 
him.  It  was  a  terrible  sicene.  and  completely  un¬ 
nerved  me. 

“  Since  the  holidays  commenced  the  Indians  have 
havd  a  gay  time.  We  had  a  Christmas-tree,  and  it 
was  a  perfect  success.  We  numbered  the  Indians  by 
hundreds,  and  yet  there  was  something  for  each  one. 
The  fruit  of  this  tree  was  furnished  by  Mrs.  Young, 
from  things  sent  by  her  friends  in  the  East. 

“  At  midnight  the  Indians  came  and  sang  in  front 
of  our  houses,  and  gave  us  their  Christmas  saluta. 
tion.  At  ten  o’clock  a.m.  they  had  a  procession 
and  hand-shaking.  At  half-past  eleven  a.m.  we 
had  a  Christmas  sermon,  at  tne  close  of  which  Mr. 
Young  married  one  of  my  pupils  to  Matthew,  our 
good  Indian.  Immediately  after  came  the  wedding- 
feast,  which  was  a  grand  affair  for  this  section. 

“  During  the  week  there  was  another  wedding  and 
feast,  besides  several  feasts  without  weddings.  Now 
two  white  men  are  soon  to  wed  Indian  girls.  Thus 
a  very  different  state  of  things  is  springing  up  here. 

“  The  Home  is  getting  along  nicely — that  is,  if  you 
can  call  it  nice  to  be  getting  deeper  and  deeper  in 
debt  every  day.  I  believe  it  is  God’s  work  and  that 
he  will  raise  up  the  means.  And  while  I  feel  that 
faith  is  an  excellent  thing  to  have,  yet  I  am  greatly 
pressed  to  find  anything  to  eat  for  these  hungry 
girls.  I  am  very  anxieue  ta  know  the  result  of  your 


ARRIVAL  OF  AN  ORGAN. 


225 


appeal.  The  year  for  the  lease  of  this  building  is 
rapidly  passing  away,  and  if  we  are  to  get  up  another 
building  in  time,  we  must  soon  be  at  work.  If  we 
fail  to  do  this,  I  do  not  like  to  think  of  the  conse¬ 
quences.” 

“  Fort  Wrangell,  Alaska,  Feb.  ii,  1879. 

”  Dear  Brother  :  The  school  is  very  full,  and  the 
attendance  of  the  Indians  upon  church  is  increasing. 

”  The  Home  is  prospering  beyond  my  expecta- 
*  tions.  I  now  have  seven  young  girls.  This  week  two 
more  applied  for  admission,  but  I  have  to  put  them 
off.  I  could  fill  the  house  before  sunset,  but  have  to 
move  slowly.  We  can  only  enlarge  as  the  Church 
furnishes  the  money.  The  missionary'boxes  have 
been  a  great  help.  The  girls  look  so  pretty  and  com¬ 
fortable  in  their  new  dresses.  They  are  so  thankful. 

”  Our  organ  has  arrived  in  good  condition,  and  is  a 
very  great  help  to  us.  I  am  exceedingly  anxious  to 
hear  about  the  building  fund.  Surely  such  appeals 
cannot  go  unheeded.” 

”  March,  1879.— One  of  my  girls  has  been  very 
sick  the  past  month.  It  is  too  bad  not  to  have  a 
physician  here.  I  feel  it  more  than  ever  now  that  I 
have  these  children  to  take  care  of.  I  hope  a  teacher 
may  come  soon,  as  Mr.  Young  is  burdened  with  the 
school  in  addition  to  all  his  other  labors.  It  was  a 
good  providence  that  sent  him  to  this  mission. 

”  I  hope  some  time  this  summer  to  be  able  to  visit 
Fort  Simpson  and  Metlahkatlah  and  learn  how  they 
carry  on  their  schools.  Their  experience  and  meth¬ 
ods  might  assist  me.  It  is  after  midnight,  and  I 
rnust  rest.  My  correspondence  has  become  a  serious 


226  VISIT  OF  MENNONITE  MISSIONARIES. 


matter,  and  increases  every  month.  Last  mail  I  sent 
out  thirty-five  letters.  I  have  already  written  twenty- 
eight  for  this  mail,  and  am  not  near  through  yet.  My 
stationery  and  postage  are  quite  an  item.” 

”  April,  1879. — I  have  taken  two  more  girls  into 
the  Home  since  I  last  wrote  you.  One  is  the  daughter 
of  a  Tacou  sham.an  or  medicine-man.  She  is  twelve 
years  old,  and  exceptionally  pretty  and  bright.  I 
saw  her  on  the  street,  and  knew  that  with  her  win¬ 
ning  face  she  was  not  safe.  My  heart  went  out  to 
her,  and  I  concluded  to  try  and  make  room  for  her 
in  my  little  household. 

”  Being  too  unwell  to  go  myself,  Mr.  Young  kindly 
consented  to  secure  her  for  me.  Taking  Mrs.  Dick¬ 
inson,  the  interpreter,  and  the  little  girl,  they  went 
in  a  canoe  to  where  her  parents  were  staying.  They 
had  a  long  wa-wa  (talk)  before  her  parents  would 
gi^^e  her  up.  But  they  finally  consented,  and  Mr. 
Young  brought  her  back  with  him.  I  have  named 
her  Annie  Graham. 

”  The  other  girl  is  only  ten  years  old.  But  young 
as  she  is,  her  mother  had  already  sold  her  for  ten 
blankets  to  a  Chilcat  Indian  for  his  wiie.  ^)he  was 
keeping  the  girl  until  he  brought  the  blankets. 
While  waiting,  the  mother  was  taken  sick.  An  older 
sister,  who  does  not  live  at  home,  hearing  of  it, 
brought  the  child  to  me.  The  little  girl  seems  to  be 
perfectly  happy  with  me.  She  was  in  great  terror 
of  being  taken  up  into  the  Chilcat  country.  I  have 
named  her  Alice  Kellogg. 

”  Rev.  S.  S.  Haury  and  an  assistant,  John  Baer, 
both  of  the  Mennonite  Church,  came  up  on  this 


ARRIVAL  OF  THE  ROMAN  CATHOLICS.  22/ 


Steamer  and  preached  for  us  yesterday  morning. 
We  were  pleased  with  him.  They  have  gone  on  to 
Sitka  and  Kadiak.  Truly  yours, 

“  A.  R.  McFarland.” 

“Fort  Wrangell,  Alaska,  May,  1879. 

”  Dear  Brother  :  We  are  all  rejoiced  at  the 
prospect  of  seeing  your  party  at  an  early  day.  The 
coming  of  such  dear  friends  will  make  it  seem  almost 
like  the  East.  I  feel  quite  impatient  to  see  a  begin¬ 
ning  made  on  our  new  home.  There  is  now  an  ad¬ 
ditional  reason  for  making  haste. 

”  The  Roman  Catholics  are  invading  our  ground. 
Among  the  passengers  on  the  Olympia  a  week  ago 
was  a  Romish  bishop  and  priest.  They  at  once  estab¬ 
lished  a  mission.  The  bishop  made  an  attack  on  Mr. 
Young  the  following  Sabbath  morning.  He  was  try¬ 
ing  to  get  the  people  to  make  the  sign  of  the  cross, 
but  none  would  respond  save  Shus-taks,  the  wicked 
chief.  This  made  the  bishop  angry,  and  he  broke 
out  as  follows  :  ‘  Why  don’t  you  do  as  I  told  you  ? 
Are  you  afraid  of  Mr.  Young  ?  You  are  not  Mr. 
Young’s  slaves.  He  is  not  a  true  minister  anyway. 
No  man  can  be  a  true  minister  and  have  a  wife. 
Look  at  me  ;  I  am  a  true  minister  ;  I  am  all  the  same 
as  Jesus  Christ,  and  I  don’t  have  any  wife.  By  and 
by  Mr.  Young  will  want  you  to  pay  lots  of  money 
for  his  wife,’  and  much  more  of  the  same  kind. 

‘‘The  Indians  are  so  fond  of  outside  display  and 
show  that  the  Romish  Church  would  suit  them  in 
that  respect.  But  we  can  take  courage  as  we  remem¬ 
ber  that  the  Lord  is  on  our  side. 


C28  arrival  of  rev.  w.  h.  r.  corlies. 


“  The  Home  is  prospering:.  The  village  is  crowded 
with  miners,  many  of  them  being  of  the  worst  kind. 
If  the  friends  of  the  mission  were  here  now  they 
would  realize  more  than  ever  the  necessity  of  pro¬ 
tecting  the.  girls.  It  makes  me  very  happy  to  feel 
that  at  least  those  in  my  family  are  safe.  I  see 
that  there  has  been  some  fault-finding  because  I  took 
such  young  girls  into  the  Home.  If  they  who  find 
fault  were  only  here  they  would  see  the  wisdom  of 
our  course.  The  last  girl  I  received  was  only  ten 
years  old,  yet  her  mother  had  already  sold  her  to  a 
man  for  ten  blankeJ--^  ” 

“  June  9th,  1879. — Since  writing  you  last  month  I 
have  taken  three  gii  H  into  tne  Home.  One  is  a  very 
bright  and  pretty  child  from  tbe  Hydah  tribe.  The 
other  two  are  half-breed  Stickeens.  One  is  seven¬ 
teen  years  old. 

“  Hers  is  a  peculiar  case.  She  lived  with  an  aunt, 
who  was  living  with  a  white  man.  Lately  the  white 
man  conceived  a  great  fancy  for  the  girl,  and  has  im¬ 
portuned  her  to  live  with  hkn,  saying  that  he  would 
send  the  old  woman  awav.  The  girl  utterly  refused 
to  consent  to  any  such  thine:.  The  man  being  called 
away  from  home  on  business,  the  girl  fled  to  me  for 
protection.  She  is  quite  intelligent,  speaks  English 
well,  and  is  the  best  educated  Indian  in  the  village. 
She  is  very  fair,  and  woidd  oass  for  a  white  girl. 
These  make  twelve  girls  now  under  my  care. 

“  Truly  voui--.  A.  R.  McFarland.” 

In  June,  1879,  Rev.  W.  H.  R.  Corlies,  M.D.,  wife 
and  child,  of  Philadelchia.  reacned  Fort  Wrangell. 


VISIT  OF  REV.  HENRY  KENDALL,  D.D.  229 


They  had  gone  out,  independent  of  mission  socie¬ 
ties,  to  establi^^h  a  mission  at  their  own  charges. 
After  canvassing  the  field  it  was  deemed  best  for  Mr. 
Corlies  to  settle  at  Fort  Wrangell  as  a  missionary 
physician.  Mrs.  Corlies  opened  a  school  among  the 
visiting  Indians,  who  in  large  numbers  come  to  the 
village  for  the  purpose  of  trade,  and  usually  camp 
on  the  beach  above  the  town. 

This  school  has  been  very  successful,  and  from 
it  the  leaven  of  the  Gospel  has  been  carried  to  many 
distant  tribes. 

During  our  stay  at  Wrangell  a  great  medicine¬ 
man  came  from  the  interior,  north  of  the  Chilcai 
country,  who  had  never  before  seen  a  white  man. 
He  regularly  attended  church  and  Sabbath-school, 
and  also  Mrs.  Corlies’  day-school.  When  the  time 
came  for  him  to  return  home,  he  asked  Mrs.  Corlies 
to  pray  for  him,  and  to  pray  that  God  would  quickly, 
send  a  teacher  for  his  people. 

On  the  2ist  of  July,  1S79,  a  party  consisting  of 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  Kendall,  Dr.  and  Mis.  A.  L. 
Lindsley,  Miss  M.  J.  Dunbar,  my  wife  and  myseb^' 
reached  Fort  Wrangell  and  received  a  very  warm  wel¬ 
come  from  the  missionaries  and  the  native  Christians. 

This  was  particularly  the  case  with  Dr.  Kendall. 
No  late  event  has  so  favorably  impressed  the  Indians 
at  Fort  Wrangell  as  this  visit  of  Dr.  Kendall.  Of 
commanding  personal  presence,  one  of  the  secre¬ 
taries  of  a  board  that  has  its  thousand  men  stretch¬ 
ing  from  Alaska  to  Florida,  coming  from  the  shores 
of  a  distant  ocean  to  inquire  after  their  welfare, 
bringing  the  money  to  erect  the  Girls’  Industrial 


230 


CHURCH  ORGANIZED. 


Home,  it  is  no  wonder  that  the  Indians  recognized 
him  as  the  “  Great  Chief.”  One  after  another  of 
their  chiefs  and  leading  men  called  to  see  him  and 
express  their  pleasure  at  his  visit,  one  with  great 
earnestness  remarking  that  he  had  not  slept  all  liight 
for  joy.  The  missionaries,  too,  hailed  his  coming 
with  delight.  His  large  experience  and  wise  coun¬ 
sels  solved  for  them  many  a  knotty  problem.  His 
patience  and  kindliness  in  entering  into  the  details 
of  their  difficulties  and  trials,  his  large  sympathies, 
greatly  endeared  him  to  them  ;  while  his  hopefulness 
encouraged  their  hearts,  strengthened  their  hands, 
and  stimulated  them  to  fresh  zeal  in  the  work. 

Sabbath,  August  3d,  1879,  will  ever  be  a  memorable 
day  in  the  history  of  Alaska.  The  Presbyterian  Mis¬ 
sion,  commenced  August  10,  1877,  by  the  arrival  at 
Fort  Wrangell  of  Mrs.  A.  R.  McFarland  and  myself, 
had  made  such  progress  during  the  two  years  of 
its  existence  that  Rev.  S.  Hall  Young,  the  mission¬ 
ary  in  charge  thought  it  expedient  to  form  his 
Christian  natives  into  a  church.  He  had  for  months 
been  instructing  them  in  a  special  class  as  to  the 
nature  and  duties  of  church-membership. 

The  presence  of  several  visiting  ministers  made  a 
suitable  occasion. 

On  Saturday  afternoon,  August  2d,  Rev.  Henry 
Kendal],  D.D.,  preached  the  preparatory  sermon, 
after  which  was  held  the  examination  of  candidates 
for  church-membership.  This  examination  was  had 
through  an  interpreter,  the  candidates  being  unable 
to  speak  English,  and  the  examiners  equally  unable 
to  speak  Thlinket, 


THE  MCFARLAND  INDUSTRIAL  HOME. 

lev.  \7.  II.  R.  Corlies,  Wife  and  Boy.  Mrs.  A.  R.  McFarland  and  Girls.  Rev.  S.  Hall  Young  and  Yv  ife 

Miss  Dunbar.  Mrs.  Dickinson  (the  Indian  Interpreter). 


I 


CHRISTIAN  EXPERIENCE. 


233 


The  services  continued  from  three  o’clock  p.m.  to 
seven,  and,  after  a  short  intermission  for  supper, 
until  eleven  p.m. 

On  Sabbath  morning  at  half-past  nine  o’clock  the 
church  came  together  for  prayer. 

At  half-past  ten  a.m.  the  formal  organization  of 
the  church  was  effected.  Sermon  by  Rev.  Henry 
Kendall,  D.D.,  constituting  prayer  by  Rev.  Sheldon' 
Jackson,  D.D.,  reception  and  baptism  of  members 
by  Rev,  S.  Hall  Young,  reading  of  the  Covenant  by 
Rev.  A.  L.  Lindsley,  D.D.,  and  benediction  by  Rev. 
W.  H.  R.  Corlies,  M.D. 

At  three  p.m.  the  church  met  for  the  celebration 
of  the  Lord’s  Supper,  Rev.  S.  Hall  Young  presiding.. 

The  opening  prayer  was  by  Dr.  Corlies,  the  ad¬ 
dress  by  Dr.  Jackson,  the  distribution  of  the  ele* 
ments  by  Dr.  Kendall,  prayer  of  thanksgiving  by 
Rev.  Mr.  Young,  and  benediction  by  Dr.  Lindsley, 

At  7.30  P.M.  I  preached  to  the  whites,  and  was  fol¬ 
lowed  with  an  address  by  Dr.  Kendall. 

Twenty-three  members  were  received  into  the  new 
organization,  of  whom  eighteen  were  Indians,  and 
all  of  the  eighteen,  save  one,  received  Christian 
baptism.  The  following  Sabbath  five  more  were  re¬ 
ceived,  four  of  whom  were  Indians. 

Among  the  six  whites  received  into  membership 
were  Mrs.  McFarland  and  Mrs.  Vanderbilt,  from  the 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Portland,  Oregon  ;  Mrs. 
Young,  from  North  Granville,  N.  Y.;  Miss  Dunbar, 
from  Steubenville,  Ohio,  and  Mr.  Regner  and  Mr. 
Chapman  (two  carpenters  working  upon  the  church 
and  Home)  upon  profession  gf  their  faith, 


234 


CHRISTIAN  EXPERIENCE. 


It  will  be  of  interest  to  the  many  friends  of  the 
Alaska  Mission  to  know  something  of  the  testimony 
of  the  native  Christians  who  were  received  into  church- 
membership.  Some  of  the  converts  that  I  found  at 
Fort  Wrangell  in  1877,  as  the  result  of  Clah’s  preach¬ 
ing,  had  shown  that  they  were  not  truly  regenerated. 
Others  had  remained  steadfast,  and  under  the  in¬ 
structions  of  Mrs.  McFarland  and  Rev.  Mr.  Young 
had  grown  in  the  divine  life. 

These  latter,  with  others  that  have  been  more 
directly  the  fruit  of  Mr.  Young’s  ministry,  gave  the 
following  testimony,  Mrs.  Dickinson  interpreting  : 

Moses  Louie. — “  I  am  a  sinner — very  evil.  My 
hope  is  that  God  had  sent  his  Son  to  wash  away  my 
guilt.  I  believe  that  God  has  given  me  a  new  heart. 
I  love  to  pray  daily  for  strength.  I  want  only  one 
mind  toward  Christians.” 

Martha  (wife  of  Moses). — ”  I  have  learned  about 
God  and  Christ,  and  want  them  to  have  pity  on  me. 
Will  try  to  obey  God  as  long  as  I  live,  not  in  my 
own  strength,  but  pray  pod  for  strength.  Daily 
pray  God  to  have  pity  on  me.” 

Matthew  Shakats. — ”  Formerly  blind  in  sin. 
Very  long  time  in  sin.  Think  God  has  changed  my 
heart,  and  I  want  to  come  out  on  God’s  side.  I 
have  had  much  trouble,  and  want  the  help  of  the 
Church  and  of  God.  Learned  of  God  that  Jesus 
died  for  me.  Now  carry  my  sins  to  God,  and  have 
hope.” 

Aaron  Kohanow. — ”  I  understand  very  solemn 
thing  to  join  the  church.  Indians  don’t  understand 
as  well  as  white  men  about  it.  Willing  to  go  on 


CHRISTIAN  EXPERIENCE. 


235 


looking  to  God  to  help  me.  Understand  how  Christ 
has  spoken  that  I  must  be  born  again.  I  want  the 
new  birth.  I  ask  God  to  give  me  a  new  heart.  God 
hear  me.  Take  my  sins  and  troubles  to  God.” 
(Aaron  was  formerly  a  shaman  and  sorcerer.  Upon 
his  conversion  destroyed  all  "he  implements  of  his 
sorcery.) 

Annie  (Aaron’s  wife). — “  I  was  sick  and  told  God. 
I  wanted  to  walk  with  God’s  people.  Always  b:i  1 
before,  because  I  did  not  know  about  God.  Now  I 
know  about  him  and  want  to  follow  him.  The  Lord 
Jesus  knows  that  I  am  a  sinner  and  he  died  for  me.” 

Jonathan  Katanake  (leading  councillor  of  the 
head  chief). — ”  Willing  to  try  and  obey  God. 
Know  how  God  pity  on  us.  Died  for  me — pains 
for  my  sins — pities  me,  and  teaches  me  to  live  aright. 
I  try  to  do  it.  I  give  my  heart  to  him.  I  do  not  dis¬ 
believe  about  God — how  he  saved  me — I  know  it. 
I  nearly  lost.  He  stretched  out  his  hand  and  pulled 
me  back.  I  feel  it.  Willing  to  leave  all  earthly 
things.  I  want  to  live  as  God  says.  Not  my  strength, 
only  if  God  helps.  Don’t  say  this  to  make  men  be¬ 
lieve.  God  knows  my  heart.  I  want  to  live  in  his 
sight.  When  a  boy  I  went  to  Victoria  and  heard 
some  one  say  the  Son  of  God  die  for  people’s  sins. 
I  did  not  know  then.  When  sickness  come,  then  I 
ask  the  Son  of  God  to  save  me.  Did  not  ask  that 
sickness  go  away,  but  that  he  save  me.  God  heard 
me,  therefore  I  believe.” 

John  Kadishan  (chief). — ”  Yes,  true.  The  Lord 
die  for  us.  Why  disbelieve,  when  he  suffered  all 
pains  for  us.  He  came  for  our  sins,  I  know  it  when 


236 


CHRISTIAN  EXPERIENCE. 


a  boy,  but  did  not  take  it  in  my  heart.  Now  I  take  it 
in.  Bible  tells  us  one  brother,  one  heart.  I  try  to 
love  all  who  love  Jesus.  Try  to  love  my  brothers 
and  sisters — to  live  straight.  God’s  Spirit  now  in 
me.  I  know  it.  I  believe  it  with  all  my  heart. 
When  I  first  go  to  hear  Mr.  Young  I  hear  the  truth. 
I  fight  against  it.  Temptation  hold  me  back.  But 
I  couldn’t  stand  it  longer.  I  must  go  and  talk  with 
Mr.  Young.  I  fight  the  truth  no  more.  Now  I  love 
the  truth.” 

Lena  Quonkah  (wife  of  John). — “When  Clah 
was  here  he  stay  at  our  house.  I  go  to  hear  him 
preach.  He  pray,  and  get  what  he  prayed  for.  Then 
I  thought  I  pray  too.  God  heard  me  ;  then  I  was 
happy.  I  like  to  quit  all  my  badness  and  give  it  to 
Christ,  and  he  take  it.  I  like  to  live  as  a  Christian 
— help  the  poor,  pity  the  sick.  I  came  to  tell  all  my 
heart  before  these  gentlemen.  I  tell  it  all  to  God.” 

Isaac  Kasch. — “  I  came  to  Mr.  Young  first  time 
last  winter  and  say  I  wanted  to  be  his  friend  and  the 
friend  of  God.  People  say  you  turn  your  heart  to 
God  and  laugh  at  me.  I  say  nobody’s  business  what 
I  do.  I  mean  to  serve  God.  Long  ago  we  blind — 
all  in  darkness.  We  call  the  crows,  and  fish,  and 
everything  God.  But  God  pity  us  and  give  us  day¬ 
light.  He  don’t  want  us  to  die  all  together.  He 
pity  us.  Not  hard  for  me  to  believe  in  God — that 
Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God.  I  feel  different  in  my  heart. 
My  old-fashioned  heart  was  different.  I  feel  my 
heart  is  clean  now.  I  live  different.  I  quit  all 
earthly  things.  I  try  to  do  right  and  pray  God.  I 
want  to  be  swift  in  God’s  way,” 


CHRISTIAN  EXPERIENCE. 


237 


Jeremiah  O’unk. — “  I  love  God  and  want  to  be  a 
Christian.  When  young,  my  hair  was  black,  and  I 
never  heard  of  God.  Now  I  am  getting  old — my 
hair  is  white,  and  I  hear  about  God,  and  want  to 
love  him  and  obey  him.  One  time  I  heard  about 
God.  Fort  Simpson  people  say,  believe  God  aud  I 
would  be  saved.  I  try  to  believe  him.  I  give  my  heart 
to  God,  and  want  to  do  what  is  right.  I  am  a  sin¬ 
ner.  I  always  before  do  bad  toward  God,  but  when 
I  heard  that  Jesus  die  for  my  sins,  I  believe.  For¬ 
merly  I  talk  bad  and  strike  my  wife  and  children. 
Now  I  try  to  do  right,  and  I  pray  God  to  help  me 
do  right.” 

Toy-a-att  (chief). — ”  How  many  sins  we  must 
quit  on  earth  !  The  serpent,  he  make  us  blind. 
That  the  reason  we  live  so  poor.  Now  God  show 
himself  to  us  and  we  believe.  You  know  all  about 
how  I  formerly  lived.  How  I  was  all  the  time  in 
trouble  and  quarreling — all  the  time  when  the  ball  or 
knife  go  through  me.  Now  I  quit  it  all.  Jesus  help 
me.  I  live  peaceably.  I  always  ask  God  give  me  a 
new  heart.  Bible  tells  how  Jesus  lived  on  earth — not 
proud.  The  Son  of  God,  he  washed  his  disciples’ 
feet.  I  wash  all  the  brethren’s  feet.  Two  things 
I  want  :  Be  like  little  children  ;  thank  God  help  us 
always.  Formerly  I  love  myself.  Didn’t  want  to 
die  quick— all  blind  heart.  Now  I  know  better, 
and  want  to  love  every  one.  I  love  my  enemies,  and 
pray  God  to  save  them.  I  see  many  children.  I 
pray  God  send  ministers  and  teachers.  God  hear 
my  prayer.  I  very  happy.” 

Mary  Katlseeh. — ”  Like  to  be  a  church-member 


23b 


CHRISTIAN  EXTERIENCE. 


because  God  die  for  my  sins  on  the  cross.  That  is 
the  reason  I  like  to  pray  God.  I  do  not  put  my  face 
before  any  people.  God  knows  my  heart.  I  want 
to  serve  him.” 

Mary  Flanery. — ”  I  like  to  love  my  Saviour  and 
give  all  my  badness  to  him,  tell  him  all  my  sins, 
carry  my  heavy-laden  to  him,  and  ask  him  to  forgive 
all  my  sins.  I  am  willing,  and  want  to  love  God 
with  all  my  heart.  Nobody  tell  me  about  him  un¬ 
til  Mr.  Young  come.  I  now  believe  him.” 

Mrs.  Jennie  Church. — ”  I  believe  the  Church  is 
God’s  road,  and  I  want  to  be  in  it  and  love  God.  I 
confess  my  sins  before  his  face.  I  put  them  all 
away.  I  give  myself  to  God’s  service.” 

Rebecca  Shetutayah. — ”  I  like  to  be  a  friend  to 
Christ.  I  want  to  give  all  my  sins  to  him.  I  am 
poor  and  weak.  I  believe  in  God  because  he  shows 
how  he  loves  me,  pities  me,  and  saves  me.  When  I 
was  nearly  gone  down  into  the  pit  of  everlasting  fire, 
he  pities  on  me  and  die  to  save  me.  I  try  to  stop  all 
my  sins.  I  don’t  want  to  go  in  the  wrong  way  any 
more.  God  shows  me  what  is  the  right  way.  I  pray 
him  help  me.” 

Mrs.  Jennie  Steele. — ”  I  like  to  be  a  church-mem¬ 
ber.  Quit  all  my  sins  I  used  to  do  before.  Because 
God  saved  my  life,  I  want  to  do  right  and  not  as 
I  used  to  do  before  I  give  myself  to  God.” 

Lot  Ty-een. — ”  Yes,  I  feel  God’s  Spirit  come  to 
me.  I  feel  how  sin  I  am  before.  I  knew  not  God 
then.  Now  my  heart  differ.  I  feel  now  God  for¬ 
give  my  sin.  I  feel  it  in  my  heart  that  I  love  God 
because  he  save  me.  I  believe  Jesus  Christ  died  for 


Christian  experience.  239 

me — pay  my  sin.  God  teach  me  to  love  one  another. 
I  try  to  obey  God  and  love  them  all.  If  enemy  come 
to  me,  I  love  him,  and  show  him  the  right,  and  tell 
him  about  God.  If  he  starve,  I  feed  him.” 

Emma  Ty-een  (Lot’s  wife). — ”  I  was  sinner-full  of 
sin,  because  I  didn’t  know  how  to  live.  God  knows 
it.  I  now  give  it  all  to  Jesus.  I  don’t  want  to  hide 
back  my  sin.  I  give  it  all  to  Jesus  who  died  for  me 
with  nails  in  his  hands  and  feet,  and  knife  in  his  side, 
and  that’s  why  I  don’t  want  to  go  back  to  my  sins.  I 
want  to  live  right.  I  trust  Jesus  help  me.  Not  my 
own  strength  to  put  away  sins.  All  the  things  I  put 
behind  me.  Earthly  things  like  rust  in  my  flesh.  I 
obey  my  husband,  and  obey  God,  and  help  the  poor 
and  sick.” 

Richard  Katchkuku  (married  his  uncle’s  wife  by 
inheritance). — ”  Great  sinner — hungry  and  want 
something  to  eat  of  God’s  word  to  satisfy  my  soul. 
I  hear  about  God  a  long  while,  but  did  not  feel  in 
my  heart.  Now  I  feel  in  my  heart,  and  want  to  join 
with  my  brothers  and  sisters.  God  pity  me.  His 
spirit  come  to  me.  I  give  all  my  heart  to  God.  I 
look  to  Jesus  for  help,  and  ask  him  to  forgive  all 
my  sin.  I  like  to  tell  every  one  the  good  news  about 
God.” 

Mary  Katchkuku  (Richard’s  wife). — ”  I  like  to 
love  Jesus,  and  that’s  the  reason  why  I  want  to  come 
to  him.  I  feel  sorr^A  that  I  always  disobey  God  be¬ 
fore,  but  now  I  praise  my  Saviour  because  he  die  for 
me.  And  I  don’t  like  to  dirty  his  face  any  more. 
Four  years  been  beliering  in  God,  ever  since  Clah 
first  tell  me  about  him.  If  in  my  house,  or  canoe. 


240 


BUILDING. 


or  In  the  woods,  wherever  I  am,  always  pray  to 
God.” 

While  we  were  at  Fort  Wrangell  arrangernents  were 
made  for  pushing  forward  the  mission  buildings  as 
rapidly  as  the  necessary  materials  could  be  procured. 
The  church  was  to  be  36x55  feet  in  size,  and  the 
Girls’  Industrial  Home  40x60  feet,  two  stories  high, 
besides  attic  and  basement. 

No  one  that  has  not  tried  building  a  thousand 
miles  from  a  hardware  store  and  a  hundred  miles 
from  a  saw-mill,  in  a  community  where  there  was 
not  a  horse,  wagon,  or  cart,  and  but  one  wheelbar¬ 
row,  can  realize  the  vexatious  delays  incident  to 
such  a  work. 

Nevertheless  the  church  was  completed  so  as  to  be 
occupied  for  worship  on  Sabbath,  October  5th  ;  and 
the  Home  was  inclosed,  but  will  not  be  finished  until 
the  spring  of  1880.  In  October  Rev.  S.  Hall  Young, 
accompanied  by  Professor  Muir  of  California,  Toy-a- 
att  and  Kadeshan,  and  two  young  men,  made  a 
canoe  voyage  up  the  coast  as  far  as  the  Chilcat  vil¬ 
lages  to  see  what  could  be  done  toward  the  estab¬ 
lishment  of  schools  among  them.  We  give  the  fol¬ 
lowing  extracts  from  his  report  : 

”  Passing  through  Kake  Strait  to  its  junction 
with  Prince  Frederick  Sound,  we  came  to  the  princi¬ 
pal  Kake  town,  called  Klukquann  (no  sleep).  The 
village  consists  of  some  half  dozen  large  houses  and 
some  smaller  ones.  It  is  beautifully  situated  on  a 
charming  bay,  with  a  wide,  dry,  sandy  beach.  In 
the  immediate  neighborhood  there  is  an  abundance 
of  good  land  fiom  which  the  people  raise  quantities 


MISSION  \RV  TOUR. 


241 


of  potatoes  and  turnips.  Their  country  is  the  best 
adapted  for  agriculture  of  any  we  found  on  our  trip. 
The  tribe  numbers  three  hundred  and  sixty-four,  and 
has  a  bad  name.  Several  years  ago  a  party  of  six 
white  men  wmre  murdered  by  them.  We  met  the 
principal  men.  They  listened  reverently  to  our  mes¬ 
sage  and  asked  for  a  teacher.  But  there  was  an  air 
of  suspicion  and  indifference  among  them  that  we 
did  not  find  at  the  other  villages.  An  earnest  Chris¬ 
tian  teacher  would  not  find  any  difficulty  in  working 
a  great  change  among  them.  A  majority  of  this 


SEAL  SKIN  SHOES.  SEAL-SKIN  MOCCASINS. 


people  had  never  heard  the  Gospel  message  before. 
The  nefarious  traffic  in  their  women  at  Fort  Wiangell 
and  Sitka  and  the  manufacture  and  use  of  hoocJiinoo 
are  making  fearful  inroads  upon  their  numbers.  This 
village  is  on  the  north-west  side  of  Kuprianoff  Island. 

.  .  .  Monday,  October  20th,  we  reached  LetuShkan, 
on  Admiralty  Island,  a  village  of  the  Hootznahoos. 
It  is  a  mean,  dirty-looking  place,  of  low,  dingy 
houses,  and  contains  a  population  of  two  hundred 
and  forty-six.  They  are  very  poor  and  degraded, 
and  their  chief  said  to  us  with  great  earnestness  that 
the  only  hope  of  saving  his  people  from  speedy  ruin 


242 


THE  CHILCATS. 


was  in  the  coming  of  a  missionary  ;  that  whiskey  and 
the  debauchery  of  their  women  were  making  fearful 
ravages  among  them  ;  that  he  and  his  people  would 
gladly  yield  obedience  to  a  missionary  should  one 
come,  and  that  there  would  be  but  little  difficulty  in 
suppressing  intemperance. 

“  Tuesday  we  reached  Angoon,  the  chief  town  of 
the  Hootznahoos.  It  is  beautifully  situated,  and  has 
a  population  of  four  hundred  and  ten.  But  we  did 
not  remain  long,  as  the  whole  town  was  drunk. 

“  VV^e  next  visited  Kowdekan,  the  large  village  of 
the  floonyah  tribe.  It  is  located  on  a  beautiful  deep 
bay  on  the  north-east  shore  of  Tchitchagoff  Island. 
The  population  is  six  hundred  and  twenty-five. 
They  are  a  simple-hearted,  primitive  people.  The 
vromen  are  comparatively  unpolluted,  and  the  chil¬ 
dren  numerous.  They  have  constant  communica¬ 
tion  by  canoe  with  Sitka  and  Fort  Wrangell.  We 
should  make  this  one  of  our  chain  of  mission  sta¬ 
tions  among  the  Thlinket-speaking  people.  .  .  . 

“  Gayrun  is  the  lower  village  of  the  Chilcats,  at 
the  mouth  of  Chilcat  River  (pronounced  by  the  na¬ 
tives  Chitl  Kawt).  We  were  met  at  the  landing  with 
the  firing  of  guns  and  great  demonstrations  of  joy. 
At  a  subsequent  conference,  Kath,  the  chief,  speak¬ 
ing  for  the  people,  expressed  their  great  satisfaction 
at  the  prospect  of  a  missionary  being  sent  to  them  ; 
that  it  was  what  they  had  been  asking  for  a  long 
time  ;  that,  from  what  they  had  seen  at  Fort  Wrangell 
of  the  fruits  of  Christianity,  they  had  been  led  al¬ 
ready  to  give  up  a  belief  in  their  old  superstitions, 
a.nd  were  ready  to  adopt  the  religion  of  the  while 


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ANXIETY  TO  HEAR  PREACHING. 


245 


men,  who  excelled  them  in  every  branch  of  knowl¬ 
edge. 

“  They  offered  to  donate  a  large  new  house  to  the 
missionary  for  church  and  school  purposes. 

‘ '  I  never  before  saw  a  people  so  hungry  for  the  word 
of  God.  They  filled  the  house  of  the  chief,  where  we 
spoke,  to  suffocation,  and  some  who  could  not  get  in 
climbed  upon  the  roof  and  listened  through  the  aper¬ 
ture  for  the  escape  of  the  smoke,  enduring  the  cold 
for  two  hours  at  a  time  rather  than  miss  any  of  our 
message.  When  we  were  through  they  refused  to  go 
away,  saying,  ‘  Your  words  are  food  to  our  hearts,’ 
and  insisting  that  we  should  preach  again  and  again. 
They  are  a  fine-looking,  intelligent  people.  Many 
are  rich,  and  nearly  all  in  comfortable  circumstances. 
They  control  the  trade  of  a  large  tract  of  country 
inland,  and  are  sharp  traders.  The  women  are  vir¬ 
tuous,  and  seem  to  have  at  least  as  much  honor  from 
the  men  as  they  show  to  their  husbands.  They  are 
far  from  being  slaves.  I  noticed  that  all  the  hard 
work,  such  as  getting  wood,  carrying  water,  and 
caring  for  the  canoes,  was  done  by  the  men,  and  in¬ 
deed  a  good  deal  of  housework  is  done  by  them  also. 

“  Children  swarm  about  every  house.  Their  old 
laws  are  in  force,  but  the  superstitions  which  answer 
for  their  religion  are  held  very  slightly.  An  old 
m.edicine-man  who  was  present  said  that  when  the 
missionary  came  he  would  cut  his  hair  and  cease  his 
sorceries.  We  were  unable  to  reach  the  principal 
village,  twenty-five  miles  up  the  river,  on  account  of  - 
a  severe  storm  and  the  lateness  of  the  season. 
Shathitch,  the  chief,  sent  down  a  canoe  for  us.  I 


246 


ANXIETY  TO  HEAR  PREACHING. 


would  like  nothing  better  than  to  enter  such  a 
place  as  a  pioneer  missionary,  and  see  what  could 
be  done  toward  lifting  up  to  a  high  standard  of 
Christian  civilization  a  naturally  noble  people.  I 
know  of  no  other  place  where,  so  far  as  we  can 
judge,  such  valuable  results  could  be  achieved  by 
the  same  amount  of  effort  in  so  short  a  time. 

“  On  the  eastern  side  of  Admiralty  Island  we  vis¬ 
ited  the  village  of  Auke.  They  were  the  most  de¬ 
graded,  poverty-stricken,  brutal  people  we  visited. 
Many  of  them  were  half  drunk.  In  several  of  their 
camps  we  found  hoocliinoo  stills  at  work  making 
rum.  We  reached  Fort  Wrangell  upon  our  return, 
November  21st,  and  found  that  the  work  had  pro¬ 
gressed  beyond  our  hopes.  Several  accessions  are 
expected  at  our  next  communion.  The  incidental 
expenses  of  the  church  are  now  all  provided  for  by 
the  Indians.  The  congregations  number  from  two 
hundred  to  three  hundred.  The  Sabbath-school  has 
an  average  attendance  of  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
five,  with  six  teachers.  The  home  is  very  prosperous.  ’  ’ 

Mrs.  McFarland  writes  : 

“  Fort  Wrangell,  Alaska,  Oct.  ii,  1879. 

“  Dear  Brother  :  Our  church  last  Sabbath  was 
largely  attended.  In  the  evening  there  was  a  larger 
congregation  of  whites  than  I  have  ever  before  seen 
at  this  place.  Mr.  Young  preached  an  excellent  ser¬ 
mon  from  the  text,  ‘  I  would  rather  be  a  doorkeeper,’ 
etc. 

“  Miss  Dunbar  is  proving  herself  a  very  competent 
and  efficient  teacher  in  the  school. 


A  MARRIAGE  ENGAGEMENT  BROKEN.  247 


“  Tillie  has  broken  her  engagement  with  the  young 
Indian.  She  concludes  she  could  not  marry  an  un¬ 
believer.  She  says,  ‘  John  does  not  care  anything 
about  God,  while  I  am  trying  to  be  a  Christian,  and 
I  know  I  would  not  be  happy  with  him.  He  would 
only  drag  me  down  again  to  be  a  “  siwasJi'  (degraded 
heathen  woman).  I  asked  her  why  she  had  promised 
to  marry  him.  She  replied,  ‘  I  never  wanted  him. 
It  was  my  family  made  the  match,’  I  then  inquired 
if  she  preferred  any  other,  to  which  she  replied,  ‘  No, 
I  want  to  stay  with  you,  for  I  fear  I  cannot  be  good 
if  I  am  not  where  I  can  have  your  assistance.’  ,  The 
young  man  is  very  angry,  and  threatens  that  she  shall 
not  marry  any  one  else. 

“  We  have  now  divided  the  Sabbath-school  into 
five  classes.  Miss  Dunbar  has  all  the  girls  who  can 
read  in  the  Testament.  Dr,  Corlies  has  the  boys 
who  can  read.  Mrs.  Corlies  and  Mrs,  Chapman 
have  the  little  ones.  I  have  the  larger  girls  and 
women  who  can  not  read,  and  Mr.  Young  takes  the 
larger  boys  and  men.  This  will  be  a  great  improve¬ 
ment  on  the  time  when  I  had  them  all  in  a  class  to¬ 
gether.  Truly  yours, 

“  A.  R.  McFarland.” 

Miss  Dunbar  writes  : 

“  Fort  Wrangell,  Alaska,  October  ii,  1879, 

“  Dear  Sir  :  I  have  opened  my  school  with  forty- 
five  scholars  ;  have  been  teaching  three  weeks.  I 
think  I  shall  like  it  very  much  indeed.  My  time  is 
so  busily  occupied  that  it  passes  very  quickly.  I 
have  school  five  hours,  and  from  four  to  six  we  study 


248  PARENTS  AND  CHILDREN  AT  SCHOOL. 


the  language  with  Mrs.  Dickinson.  It  is  very  hard. 
We  are  now  translating  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis.  • 
I  am  taking  music  lessons  from  Mrs.  Young  ;  prac¬ 
tice  one  hour  and  a  half  before  school.  There  is  an 
organ  in  tlie  school  room,  and  I  find  it  very  conven¬ 
ient.  Friday  afternoon  we  devote  to  knitting,  plain 
sewing  and  patch-work,  singing,  etc.,  etc.  The  large 
boys  saw  enough  wood  to  last  the  coming  week. 
Classes  range  from  A  B  C  to  fourth  reader,  geo¬ 
graphy,  and  practical  arithmetic.  I  find  the  Indians 
quite  as  ready  to  learn  as  the  white  children,  and  not 
half  so  mischievous.  The  Indians  are  now  coming 
home  from  their  fishing  and  hunting  grounds,  an  i 
this  winter  we  Avill  have  a  large  school.  I  am  train¬ 
ing  some  of  the  larger  girls  to  assist  me  with  the 
small  children.  Mothers  and  daughters  stand  side 
by  side  in  class,  and  it  is  interesting  to  see  what  de¬ 
light  they  take  in  turning  one  another  down  in  spell¬ 
ing-class.  The  children  are  very  fond  of  singing. 
Some  have  very  sweet  voices.  They  would  all  be  so 
proud  to  have  a  singing-book  of  their  own.  The 
girls  are  learning  to  do  housework.  They  wash  and 
iron  quite  well,  and  the  oldest  girl  is  a  nice  haker. 
We  all  eat  at  the  same  time,  but  have  separate  tables 
from  the  girls.  When  they  are  excused,  each  girl 
carries  her  own  plate,  cup  and  saucer  to  the  kitchen, 
and  the  table  is  cleared  off  very  quietly  and  quickly. 
They  make  quite  a  business  of  eating — do  not  talk 
much  at  the  table — and  do  you  believe  it?  these  girls 
never  knew  what  it  was  to  eat  at  a  table  before  they 
came  into  the  Home. 

“  Now  I  will  tell  you  how  we  spend  Sabbath.  It 


HOW  THE  SABBATH  IS  SPENT. 


249 


is  the  busiest  day  in  the  week.  Preaching  at  ten 
o’clock,  Sunday-school  at  close  of  church.  Preach¬ 
ing  again  at  three  o’clock  in  the  afternoon,  some¬ 
times  in  Chinook,  but  often  through  an  interpreter 
in  the  Stickeen  language.  In  the  evening  preaching 
in  English  for  the  whites.  We  look  forward  to  this 
service  with  pleasure,  as  the  other  services  are  neces¬ 
sarily  very  tedious.  In  the  evening  before  church 
the  children  in  the  Home  recite  the  catechism  and 
Scripture  verses.  We  have  worship  at  our  meals  be¬ 
fore  we  begin  to  eat.  In  the  evening  the  girls  come 
into  my  room  to  read  a  chapter  before  they  retire. 
They  read  quite  well  now. 

“  From  my  room  the  view  is  exquisite,  overlooking 
the  bay.  At  a  distance  you  can  see  the  si  ow  capped 
peaks.  One  mountain  after  another  rises  out;  of  the 
sea  like  domes.  This  is  a  wonderful  country.  God 
has  done  much  to  beautify  it. 

“  The  names  of  our  girls,  from  the  smallest  to  the 
largest,  are  Nellie,  Fannie,  Susie,  Mary  Jackson, 
Hattie,  Louisa  Norcross,  Annie  Graham,  Kitty,  Alice 
Kellogg,  Emma,  Katie,  Minnie,  Eliza,  Johanna,  Til- 
lie  Kinnou.  Truly  yours, 

“  Maggie  J.  Dunbar.” 

“Fort  Wrangell,  Alaska,  November  ii,  1879. 

”  Dear  Brother  :  My  family  has  increased  very 
much  since  you  were  here.  I  now  report  twenty 
girls.  This  greatly  increases  my  cares.  Last  Sab¬ 
bath  Dr.  Corlies  suggested  at  the  morning  service 
that  some  of  the  Christian  Indians  should  go  up  the 
beach,  where  a  number  of  heathen  Indians  were  en- 


250 


THE  CHURCH  FULL. 


camped,  and  invite  them  to  church  in  the  afternoon. 
This  was  done,  and  resulted  in  the  church  being 
crowded  to  overflowing.  There  was  not  even  stand¬ 
ing  room  left.  It  was  very  inspiring  to  see  so  many 
of  those  poor  creatures,  with  their  blankets  and 
painted  faces,  crowding  into  the  church.  We  earnest¬ 
ly.  pray  that  it  may  be  the  beginning  of  a  revival 
among  us.  Truly  yours, 

“  Mrs.  a.  R.  McFarland.” 

“  Fort  Wrangell,  Alaska,  Nov.  29,  1879. 

“  Dear  Sir  :  .  .  .  The  school  is  prosperous  and 
every  department  of  the  mission  flourishing.  The 
great  eagerness  of  this  people  to  receive  instruction 
is  wonderful.  I  was  told  before  coming  here  that  the 
Indians  could  not  learn.  But  in  this  respect  I  have 
been  very  agreeably  disappointed.  I  must  say  that 
in  dress,  order,  and  studiousness  they  rank  with  many 
of  our  common  schools.  In  singing,  reading,  spell¬ 
ing,  writing,  at  the  blackboard  or  mental  arithmetic, 
they  evince  ability  to  learn  what  white  children 
learn.  Perhaps  they  are  a  little  slower,  but  consid¬ 
ering  that  they  are  mastering  a  new  language  at  the 
same  time,  all  due  allowance  can  be  made  for  them. 
The  days  are  so  short  we  are  obliged  to  have  only 
one  session  of  the  school.  It  extends  from  ten  a.m. 
until  half-past  two  p.m.,  without  any  intermission. 
Mr.  Young  has  reopened  the  night-school  for  those 
who  cannot  attend  during  the  day.  Dr.  Corlies  and 
Mr,  Chapman  are  assisting  him.  Our  oldest  girl  in 
the  Home  (Tillie  Kinnou)  has  become  a  Christian, 
and  expresses  a  great  desire  to  be  trained  for  a 


AN  EFFICIENT  TEACHER. 


251 


teacher.  She  is  already  quite  a  help  in  teaching  the 
younger  children.  She  is  a  girl  of  much  promise 
and  decision  of  character. 

“  Mrs.  Corlies  is  doing  a  great  work  among  the 
wild  Indians.  Many  of  their  children  attend  church 
and  Sabbath-school.  We  are  thankful  for  the  prayers 
of  God’s  dear  people.  With  God’s  favor  and  bless¬ 
ing  we  can  build  up  a  model  Christian  village  that 
shall  reflect  light  and  radiate  heat  to  many  darkene/ 
tribes  all  along  this  coast.  Truly  yours, 

“  Maggie  J,  Dunbar.” 

“Fort  Wrangell,  Alaska,  December  16,  1879. 

“  Dear  Brother  :  The  mission  work  here  is  in  a 
very  prosperous  condition. 

“  The  new  church  is  filled  at  every  service.  The 
Roman  Catholics  are  making  very  little  headway, 
and  the  priest  has  gone  down  to  Victoria. 

“About  the  middle  of  November  we  organized  a 
woman’s  prayer-meeting.  We  meet  every  Friday 
afternoon,  and  have  an  attendance  of  from  25  to  30 
Every  Indian  woman  present  who  is  a  church-mem¬ 
ber  leads  in  prayer.  We  expect  much  good  from 
these  meetings. 

“  Miss  Dunbar’s  school  is  very  full  and  prosperous. 
She  is  an  excellent  teacher. 

“The  Home  is  doing  well.  It  is  a  bright,  cheer¬ 
ful,  and  happy  family  of  20  girls.  The  poor  little 
girl  whom  I  received  while  you  was  here,  whose 
mother  was  murdered,  is  a  delicate  child,  and  I  fear 
may  not  live  long. 

“  Nothing  has  been  done  with  the  murderer.  The 


252 


PROSPERITY. 


Indians  have  been  waiting  for  all  the  principal  men 
to  return  to  the  village.  This  week  they  have  had 
a  council  anrj  determined  to  arrest  and  try  the  man. 
If  he  is  found  guilty  they  will  probably  execute  him. 

“We  have  had  two  weeks  of  cold  weather,  the 
severest  I  have  felt  since  coming  to  Fort  Wrangell. 

“This  house  is  so  cold  that  we  could  not  keep 
comfortable.  During  this  cold  spell  all  my  house 
plants  were  frozen.  Next  to  my  work,  I  loved  them 
better  than  anything  else  in  Alaska, 

“  Dr.  Corlies  has  moved  into  his  new  house  near 
the  church. 

“  Mrs.  Corlies’  school  for  the  visiting  Indians  is 
quite  large.  The  transient  character  of  the  pupils, 
as  they  come  and  go  with  their  parents,  makes  it  very 
hard  and  discouraging.  But  she  has  such  lovely 
faith  that  she  labors  on  cheerfully,  ever  hoping  that 
they  may  carry  to  their  own  tribes  some  seed  that 
will  yet  bear  fruit.  As  Christmas  draws  near  the 
Indians  are  all  excitement.  This  is  the  greatest  day 
of  the  year  for  them.  Through  the  kindness  of 
many  friends  in  the  East,  we  will  have  a  nice  Christ¬ 
mas-tree. 

“  I  send  most  heartfelt  thanks  to  all  the  dear  friends 
East  and  West  for  their  many  gifts.  I  am  sure 
they  would  feel  amply  repaid  if  they  could  witness 
the  pleasure  they  afford  these  poor  people.  May  God 
bless  them  all  for  their  kindness  to  us.  Many  of  the 
packages  have  nothing  about  them  by  which  we  can 
learn  the  donors.  I  thank  them  all  the  same,  and 
commend  them  to  the  Saviour,  who  knows  their  gift 
of  love. 


PROSPERITY. 


253 


“  For  a  long  time  I  have  been  trying  to  get  into 
the  Home  the  little  daughter  of  Shus-Staaks,  the 
wicked  chief  who  once  threatened  my  life. 

“  Yesterday  he  sent  the  child  to  me,  saying  that  he 
was  a  wicked  old  man  himself,  but  he  wanted  his 
little  girl  to  be  good,  and  he  wanted  Mrs,  McFarland 
to  teach  her.  She  is  a  nice  child,  about  13  years  old, 
and  I  have  named  her  Louisa  Norcross,  Shus- 
Staaks. 

“We  are  very  much  rejoiced  at  this,  as  the  old 
chief  has  opposed  our  work  from  the  beginning,  and 
been  the  chief  supporter  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
movement.  He  now  attends  our  church  regularly. 

“We  are  also  rejoicing  in  the  hope  that  Chief 
Shaaks  is  a  converted  man.  He  has  asked  to  be 
baptized  and  received  into  church-membership.  I 
received  sixty-six  letters  by  this  steamer, 

“  Sincerely  yours, 

“  Mrs.  a,  R,  McFarland.” 

The  year  1879  closed  with  the  re-establishment  of 
the  school  at  Sitka,  the  arranging  of  missions  among 
the  Chilcats,  Hydahs,  and  Hoonyahs,  and  great  pros¬ 
perity  at  Fort  Wrangell, 


ALASKA  DOG-HEAD. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


A  Canoe  Voyage — Deserted  Indian  Village — Toiling  in  Rowing — 
Councils  with  Chilcats,  Hydas,  and  Tongas — New  Fields — Fort 
Tongas — Driving  before  the  Storm — An  Indian  Welcome. 

“  Angel  of  life  !  thy  glittering  wings  explore 

Earth’s  loneliest  bounds  and  ocean’s  wildest  shore. 

Now  far  he  sweeps,  where  scarce  a  summer  smiles, 

On  Bering’s  rocks,  or  Greenland’s  naked  isles.” 

I  HAD  long  wanted  to  make  a  visit  to  the  missions  of 
the  Methodist  and  Episcopal  Churches  at  Fort  Simp¬ 
son  and  Metlahkatlah,  and  inspect  their  plans  and 
methods  of  labor.  The  latter  of  these  missions  has 
been  in  operation  twenty  years,  and  sufficient  time 
i^an  important  element  in  mission  work)  has  elapsed 
to  test  the  efficiency  of  their  methods.  Besides, 
these  missions  were  the  forerunner  of  our  own  work 
in  Alaska.  Unable  to  visit  them  in  any  other  way, 
I  concluded,  during  my  visit  to  Alaska  in  1879,  to 
make  the  trip  in  a  canoe.  Just  at  that  time  a  large 
one  came  in  from  the  Chilcat  country,  loaded  with 
furs  and  bound  for  Fort  Simpson.  As  a  portion  of 
the  crew  were  Christian  Indians  from  Fort  Simpson, 
there  was  no  difficulty  in  arranging  a  passage.  Be¬ 
sides  the  six  Christian  Indians,  there  were  twelve 
wild  Chilcat  savages,  headed  by  two  chiefs,  one  of 
whom  was  a  medicine-man  or  shaman. 


A  DESERTED  VILLAGE. 


255 


The  canoe  was  about  thirty-five  feet  long,  five 
wide,  and  three  deep.  A  comfortable  seat  was  allotted 
me  in  the  centre,  with  my  blanket  and  provisions 
within  easy  reach.  On  the  iith  of  August  we  left 
Fort  Wrangell  for  Fort  Simpson  and  Metlahkatlah, 
B.  C.  The  day  wore  on  with  the  monotonous  dip  of 
the  paddles.  Rounding  a  cape,  they  were  able  to 
hoist  two  sails,  and  have  their  assistance  for  a  short 
distance. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  we  passed  an  abandoned 
Stickeen  village.  A  number  of  the  ancient  totem 
poles  were  still  standing,  surmounted  by  grotesque 
images,  and  containing  the  bones  and  ashes  of  the 
former  inhabitants.  Many  had  fallen  and  are  rot¬ 
ting  amid  the  dense  undergrowth  of  bushes  and 
ferns.  Some  of  the  corner-posts  of  their  large  houses 
were  still  standing,  resting  upon  the  top  of  which 
are  immense  beams,  some  of  them  three  feet  through 
and  from  forty  to  sixty  feet  long. 

Without  an  inhabitant,  the  coarse  croaking  of  the 
raven  alone  broke  in  upon  the  stillness  and  desola¬ 
tion  of  the  scene.  The  Indians,  resting  upon  their 
paddles,  gazed  intently  at  the  ruins  as  we  floated  by 
with  the  tide.  What  thoughts  were  passing  through 
their  minds  I  had  no  means  of  knowing.  Perhaps 
the  savage  Chilcats  looked  upon  the  scene  with  su¬ 
perstitious  dread  and  awe,  while  to  the  Christian 
Tsimpseans  (Simp-se-ans)  it  brought  joy  and  grati¬ 
tude  as  they  more  fully  realized  that  the  heathen 
darkness  of  the  past  had  been  changed  to  light  and 
hope. 

If  those  ruins  had  a  voice  to  rehearse  the  scenes  that 


256  THE  CRUELTIES  OF  HEATHENISM. 


have  passed  within  them,  the  whole  Christian  world 
would  stand  aghast  and  horrified  at  the  cruelties 
which  it  is  possible  for  human  nature  to  enact  and 
even  gloat  over.  When  those  great  corner-posts 
were  placed  in  position,  a  slave  was  murdered  and 
placed  under  each.  When  the  houses  were  com¬ 
pleted  and  occupied,  scores  of  slaves  were  butchered, 
to  show  the  power  and  wealth  of  the  owner — that  his 
slaves  were  so  numerous  that  he  could  afford  to  kill, 
and  yet  have  plenty  left.  Founded  and  dedicated 
with  human  sacrifices,  who  can  conceive  of  the  ag¬ 
gregate  of  woe  and  suffering  in  those  habitations  of 
cruelty,  year  after  year,  at  the  wild,  drunken  orgies 
of  the  Indians — their  horrid  cannibal  feasts,  their 
inhuman  torture  of  witches,  their  fiendish  carousals 
around  the  burning  dead,  the  long  despairing  wails 
of  lost  souls  as  they  passed  out  into  eternal  darkness  ? 
They  have  passed  away  to  meet  us  at  the  judgment- 
seat,  and  their  village  is  in  ruins.  But  other  villages 
exist  on  this  coast,  where  these  same  scenes  of 
cruelty  and  blood  are  still  enacted.  When  will  the 
Christian  Church  awake  to  its  responsibility,  and 
send  the  light  into  all  this  benighted  land  ? 

Frequently  along  the  way  the  Chilcat  Indians 
would  break  out  into  singing  one  of  their  national 
airs,  to  cheer  the  rowers.  This  would  challenge  the 
Christian  Indians,  who  would  follow  with  a  number 
of  the  precious  hymns  of  Bliss  and  Sankey.  One 
evening,  after  a  large  number  of  these  had  been 
sung,  the  old  Chiicat  and  shaman  inquired,  “Who 
is  this  Jesus  you  sing  about  ?’’  Then  the  Tsimpsean 
Indians  gladly  preached  Jesus  unto  him. 


1 


A  SCALP  DANCE. 


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♦  « 


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i 


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CHRISTIAN  INDIANS. 


259 


These  Christian  Indians  carry  their  religion  with 
them  wherever  they  go.  They  were  now  returning 
from  a  voyage  of  over  a  thousand  miles.  They  had 
been  on  the  way  for  weeks.  But  under  no  circum¬ 
stances  would  they  travel  on  the  Sabbath.  Upon 
one  occasion  they  were  nearly  out  of  food,  and  their 
heathen  companions  urged  them  to  continue  the 
voyage,  that  they  might  reach  an  Indian  village  and 
procure  supplies.  The  heathen  said,  “  We  are 
hungry,  and  you  are  no  friends  of  ours  if  you  do  not 
go  where  we  can  get  something  to  eat.”  But  neither 
tide,  wind,  nor  hunger  could  induce  them  to  travel 
on  the  Lord’s  day.  One  of  them  afterward  said,  in 
a  meeting  of  his  own  people,  that  his  heart  was  often 
sad  upon  the  trip  because  he  did  not  know  more  of 
the  language  of  the  people  they  were  visiting,  and 
could  not  tell  them  more  about  Jesus. 

It  is  the  universal  testimony  of  the  whites,  both 
friends  and  foes  of  the  missions,  that  the  Christian 
Indians  of  Metlahkatlah,  Fort  Simpson,  and  Fort 
Wrangell  are  strict  in  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath. 

I  was  much  interested  in  my  Chilcat  companions, 
and,  like  the  Christian  Indians,  deplored  that  I  could 
not  more  fully  communicate  with  them.  However, 
after  we  reached  Fort  Simpson,  where  an  interpreter 
could  be  had,  thev  came  and  sought  a  council.  The 
two  chiefs,  speaking  in  behalf  of  their  people,  de¬ 
clared  their  desire  to  give  up  the  old  way  and  learn 
the  new,  which  was  better  ;  that  they  were  ready 
and  waiting  to  give  up  their  heathen  practices,  as 
soon  as  a  teacher  would  come  and  show  them  how, 
and  they  earnestly  inquired  how  soon  a  teacher  would 


26o 


AN  APPEAL  FOR  SCHOOLS. 


come.  These  people  occupy  the  country  at  the  head 
of  Lynn  Channel,  and  were  known  to  the  Hudson 
Bay  Fur  Company,  at  an  early  day,  as  the  Nehau- 
nees.  They  are  a  bold,  warlike,  and  enterprising 
people.  They  are  also  noted  traders,  being  the  mid- 
dle-men  between  the  interior  tribes  and  the  Ameri¬ 
can  merchants  on  the  coast.  They  number  about 
two  thousand. 

I  promised  to  present  their  case  to  the  Board,  and 
encouraged  them  to  believe  that  a  missionary  would 
be  sent.  These  were  the  people  that  we  had  hoped 
to  visit  in  their  northern  homes,  but  being  prevented 
from  reaching  them,  they  were  thus  providentially 
sent  to  us.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Young,  of  Fort  Wrangell, 
and  the  Rev.  J.  G.  Brady,  of  Sitka,  have  had  fre¬ 
quent  conferences  with  members  of  this  tribe,  and 
concur  in  the  importance  of  establishing  a  mission 
among  them  at  an  early  day. 

I  also  had  a  council  with  some  Hydahs.  We 
camped  one  night  on  their  island.  They  re-echoed 
the  universal  desire  of  the  people  along  this  coast 
for  schools,  and  I  promised  to  bring  their  case  also 
before  the  board. 

At  Fort  Simpson  I  was  visited  by  a  delegation  of 
Tongas,  who  had  the  same  request  to  make  for  help. 
T  could  only  promise  to  try  and  interest  the  Church 
in  their  behalf.  The  Indians  think  that  the  whites 
have  some  great  secret  about  the  future  state  of  the 
soul,  which  they  wish  to  learn.  They  are  in  a  con¬ 
dition  of  expectancy  which  would  cause  them  warmly 
to  welcome  Christian  teachers.  But  if  this  season  is 
permitted  by  the  Church  to  pass  away  unimproved, 


FISHING.  261 

who  can  say  that  it  will  not  be  followed  by  greater 
hardness  of  heart  and  more  determined  heathenism  ? 

About  six  p.M.  the  canoe  was  run  upon  the  beach, 
and  an  hour  spent  in  supper,  which,  to  the  Indians, 
consisted  of  tea  and  salmon.  Embarking  at  seven, 
they  paddled  until  ten  o’clock,  when,  finding  an 
opening  in  the  rock-b'bund  coast,  we  put  ashore, 
spread  our  blankets  upon  the  sand,  and  were  soon 
sound  asleep.  At  three  a.m.  we  were  roused  and 
were  soon  under  way,  without  any  breakfast.  This, 
however,  did  not  matter  much,  as  my  stock  of  pro¬ 
visions  consisted  of  ship  biscuit  and  smoked  salmon. 
Biscuit  and  salmon  for  breakfast  and  supper,  salmon 
and  biscuit  for  dinner.  The  Indians  upon  the  trip 
only  averaged  one  meal  the  twenty-four  hours. 

During  the  morning,  passing  the  mouth  of  a  shal¬ 
low'  mountain  -  stream,,  the  canoe  was  anchored  to  a 
big  rock.  The  Indians,  wading  up  the  stream,  in  a 
few  minutes,  with  poles  and  paddles  clubbed  to 
death  some  thirty  salmon,  averaging  twenty-five 
pounds  each  in  weight.  These  were  thrown  into  the 
canoe  and  taken  along. 

At  noon  they  put  ashore  for  their  first  meal  that 
day.  Fires  were  made  under  shelter  of  a  great  rock. 
The  fish,  cleanea  and  hung  upon  sticks,  were  soon 
broiling  before  the  fire.  After  dinner  all  hands  took 
a  nap  upon  the  beach.  At  three  p.m.  we  were  again 
under  way.  When  night  came,  finding  no  suitable 
landing-place,  the  Indians  paddled  on  until  two 
o’clock  next  morning,  having  made  a  day’s  work  of 
twenty-three  hours.  At  two  a. at.,  finding  a  sheltered 
bay,  we  ran  ashore.  As  it  was  raining  hard,  vre 


262 


CANOEING 


spread  our  blankets  as  best  we  could,  under  shelter¬ 
ing  rocks  or  projecting  roots  of  the  great  pines. 

At  six  o’clock,  rising  from  an  uncomfortable  sleep, 


STONE  IMPLEMENTS. 


we  embarked  and  paddled  until  nine,  when^  reach¬ 
ing  the  cabin  of  Mr.  Morrison,  at  Tongas  Narrows, 
we  went  ashore  for  breakfast,  Mr.  Morrison  has  a 


TOILING  IN  ROWING. 


263 


fine  vegetable  garden,  and  is  also  engaged  in  salmon 
fisheries.  At  this  point  I  secured  two  fine  specimens 
of  stone  axes. 

In.  an  hour  we  were  again  under  way,  the  Indians 
working  hard  at  the  paddles  until  the  middle  of  the 
afternoon,  when  we  ran  ashore  upon  a  rocky  point 
for  a  short  rest  and  sleep,  the  sea  being  very  rough. 

In  an  hour  and  a  half  we  were  again  on  our  jour¬ 
ney.  Toward  evening  we  passed  Cape  Fox  and 
boldly  launched  out  to  cross  an  arm  of  the  sea,  and 
once  out  it  was  as  dangerous  to  turn  back  as  to  go 
forward.  The  night  was  dark,  the  waves  rolling 
high,  and  the  storm  upon  us.  One  Indian  stood  upon 
the  prow  of  the  canoe  watching  the  waves  and  giving 
orders.  Every  man  was  at  his  place,  and  the  stroke 
of  the  paddles  kept  time  with  the  measured  song  of 
the  leader,  causing  the  canoe  to  mount  each  wave 
with  two  strokes  ;  then,  with  a  click,  each  paddle 
would,  at  the  same  instant,  strike  the  side  of  the 
canoe  and  remain  motionless,  gathering  strength  for 
the  next  wave.  As  the  billows  struck  the  canoe  it 
quivered  from  stem  to  stern. 

It  was  a  long,  tedious  night,  as  in  the  rain  and  fog 
and  darkness  we  tossed  in  a  frail  canoe  upon  the 
waters,  but  daylight  found  us  near  Fort  Tongas. 

This  is  an  Indian  village  and  an  abandoned  mili¬ 
tary  post.  From  the  water  there  seemed  to  be  a 
whole  forest  of  crest  or  totem  poles.  Many  of  them 
are  from  sixty  to  seventy-five  feet  high,  and  carved 
from  top  to  bottom  with  a  succession  of  figures  rep¬ 
resenting  the  eagle,  wolf,  bear,  frog,  whale,  and 
other  animals.  The  military  post  was  established  in 


264 


ARRIVAL  AT  FORT  SIMPSON. 


1867  and  abandoned  in  1877.  The  buildings  are  still 
standing.  The  chief  has  repeatedly,  in  a  most  ear¬ 
nest  and  urgent  manner,  asked  for  a  teacher  for  his 
people  before,  through  the  combined  effect  of  ^  vice 
and  whiskey,  they  become  extinct. 

The  wind  had  been  against  i  s  all  the  way  from 
Fort  Wrangell.  It  had  rained  more  or  less  each  day 
that  we  had  been  out,  and  the  storm  had  continued 
to  increase  in  violence.  Some  of  the  Indians  being 
so  exhausted  by  the.  labors  of  the  past  night  that 
they  dropped  asleep  at  their  paddles,  it  was  thought 
best  to  go  ashore  and  get  some  rest.  On  shore  we 
tried  to  start  a  fire,  but  the  driving  rain  soon  extin¬ 
guished  it.  Taking  my  regulation  meal  of  salmon 
and  hard-tack,  I  spread  my  blankets  under  a  big  log 
and  tried  to  sleep.  The  beating  storm  soon  saturated 
the  blankets,  and  I  awoke  to  find  the  water  running 
down  my  back.  Rising,  I  paced  up  and  down  the 
beach  until  the  Indians  were  ready  to  move  on.  After 
a  rest  of  two  hours,  seeing  no  signs  of  a  lull  in  the 
storm,  we  re-embarked,  determined,  if  possible,  to 
make  Fort  Simpson. 

Getting  out  of  the  shelter  of  the  island  into  Dixon’s 
Inlet  (another  arm  of  the  ocean),  we  found  the  wind 
in  our  favor.  Hoisting  both  sails,  we  drove  through 
the  waves  at  a  slashing  rate,  the  corner  of  the  sails 
dipping  into  the  water,  and  occasionally  the  waves 
running  over  the  side  into  the  canoe.  This  was  fun 
for  the  Indians,  who  would  again  and  again  exclaim, 
as  our  masts  bent  under  the  sails,  “  Beat  steamboat  ! 
beat  steamboat  !”  Cold,  wet,  and  hungry,  that  after¬ 
noon  we  ran  into  the  harbor  at  Fort  Simpson,  and 


AN  INDIAN  WELCOME. 


265 


shortly  after  were  receiving  a  warm  welcome  at  Rev, 
Thomas  Crosby’s  mission  of  the  Methodist  Church 
of  Canada. 

In  the  spring  I  had  written  to  the  Rev.  Thomas 
Crosby  that  the  Rev.  Henry  Kendall,  D.D.,  one  of 
the  secretaries  of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Home 
Missions,  and  myself  would  visit  Alaska  in  July, 
and  if  possible  would  call  at  his  mission. 

The  announcement  of  this  created  great  joy  among 
the  Indians.  Consequently,  in  July  they  came  home 
from  their  fisheries  to  the  number  of  over  one  thou¬ 
sand,  and  festooned  the  j)rincipal  streets  of  their 
village  with  evergreens  from  one  end  to  the  other. 

Their  flags  were  ready  and  their  cannon  in  position 
to  welcome  the  “great  white  chiefs  of  missions.’’ 
But,  to  our  great  disappointment,  circumstances  pre¬ 
vented  our  landing.  When,  therefore,  they  heard 
that  I  had  arrived  by  canoe,  a  meeting  of  the  chiefs 
and  councilmen  was  called  to  give  a  public  welcome. 

Being  all  assembled  at  the  council  chamber  in  the 
mission-house,  Moses  McDonald,  a  chief,  rose  and 
addressed  me  in  substance  thus,  Mr.  Crosby  inter¬ 
preting  : 

“  Your  coming  has  made  our  hearts  very  happy. 
We  expected  you  before.  Our  people  came  in  and 
made  great  preparations.  We  festooned  our  streets 
in  your  honor,  but  you  did  not  come.  Our  flowers 
and  evergreens  faded  ;  our  people  went  back  to  their 
fisheries.  But  though  now,  because  our  people  are 
away,  we  cannot  make  as  much  demonstration,  our 
hearts  are  just  as  much  glad. 

“We  are  glad  that  you  are  coming  to  help  th^ 


266 


COUNCIL. 


poor  people,  our  neighbors,  the  Stickeens.  When 
we  hear  of  the  great  American  nation — its  large 
cities,  its  great  business  houses,  its  vast  wealth  and 
churches — we  are  amazed  that  you  did  not  do  some¬ 
thing  for  this  people  along  time  ago.  We  hope  you 
will  tell  your  people  about  it  strong.  We  hope  you 
will  have  whiskey  put  down.  We  have  put  it  down 
here,  and  it  can  be  put  down  there. 

“  We  do  not  think  it  well  to  have  two  (denomina¬ 
tions)  churches  among  the  Stickeens.  The  Stickeens 
ought  to  speak  strong  all  the  one  way.  We  hope 
your  missionary,  Mr.  Young,  will  be  strong  every¬ 
where — directing  about  the  streets  and  houses  and 
good  order  and  sick,  every  day.  We  hope  he  will 
keep  the  people  driving  on — all  warm.  All  the  work 
you  see  here  has  been  done  in  five  years.  It  could 
not  have  been  done  if  the  missionary  had  not  worked 
very  hard  and  all  the  time  to  show  us  how  to  work. 
Indians  are  different  from  white  men.  They  need  a 
minister  to  lead  them. 

“  All  I  have  to  say  is  this,  that  a  good  man  be  sent 
to  our  neighbors,  the  Tongas.  The  way  is  open. 
If  you  strike  now  you  will  get  them.  They  will  soon 
be  rone  if  not  rescued.” 

O 

John  Ryan  next  spoke  : 

We  are  delighted  to  meet  you  here.  You  see  the 
•  place  very  quiet,  because  nol  ody  home.  If  all  home, 
it  is  very  peaceable,  because  the  peace  of  Christ  has 
come  here.  It  was  not  so  formerly.  This  was  a 
great  people  for  darkness  and  cruelty  before  the  mis¬ 
sionary  came,  and  that  was  but  a  few  years  ago. 
Our  hearts  were  first  like  the  Stickeensh  We  thought 


AURORA  ON  THE  YUKON  RIVER,  ALASKA. 


SPEECHES. 


269 


the  new  way  was  all  wrong.  But  God  has  conquered 
and  changed  the  whole  life  of  our  people.  God 
pitied  us,  heard  our  cry,  sent  his  minister,  and  built 
his  house.  It  was  God’s  work.  God  heard  our 
prayers.  Then  we  prayed  for  the  Stickeens,  and 
God  heard  and  came  to  their  help.  That  is  the  way. 
When  we  see  any  one  in  trouble,  we  help,  we  pray. 

“  If  you  send  only  one  minister,  then  the  work  is 
heavy,  but  if  you  send  more  it  will  be  light. 

“  Look  !  we  thought  it  was  only  the  English  and 
Canadian  that  loved  to  help  this  people,  because  we 
saw  no  one  else  come.  But  now  we  see  our  Ameri¬ 
can  friends  come  and  have  warm,  strong  hearts  too. 
Now  we  all  work  together  for  Christ. 

“  Last  winter  we  went  far  off,  and  carried  God’s 
word  wherever  we  went.  We  did  not  go  to  make 
money  or  get  great  names,  but  to  carry  the  word  of 
God  to  others.  We  visited  four  large  villages  that 
asked  where  the  missionary  was.  We  had  no  au¬ 
thority  to  tell  them  that  one  Vv^ould  come,  but  we 
said  to  them.  Tell  God  your  hearts.  Pray  to  him  to 
send  a  missionary,  and  one  will  come.” 

Samuel  Musgrave  Gemk  was  the  next  speaker. 
He  said  : 

I  want  to  tell  this  chief  how  glad  my  heart  is 
that  he  come  to  visit  our  minister.  Half  of  my 
heart  very  glad,  and  half  a  little  sorry.  We  are  a 
little  sorry  that  you  did  not  wait  a  little  out  there  on 
the  island,  that  we  might  have  gone  into  our  boxes 
and  got  out  our  flags  and  fired  our  guns,  and  made 
you  feel  very  welcome.  But  we  did  not  know  when 
you  were  coming,  and  now  we  are  delighted  to  see 


2J0 


SPEECHES. 


you  sitting  alongside  of  our  minister.  Just  one 
thing  I  say.  Not  good  as  Christians,  we  be  as  old, 
heathens  at  enmity.  Now  we  like  brothers.  I  wish 
you  would  push  one  part  of  the  country  into  the 
other.  This  line  ought  to  be  lost.  Hope  that  it  be 
done,  because  if  one  country,  then  we  all  brothers. 
Then  be  no  more  Ena-lish  Christians  and  American 
Christians,  but  we  will  all  be  one  Christians.  Then 
if  you  need  a  little  help,  or  we  need  a  little  help,  we 
can  help  each  other.  Since  your  minister  go  to  the 
Stickeens,  we  feel  at  home  there  now.  If  we  get  sick 
or  die  there,  we  teel  we  should  be  cared  for  now.” 

Wicke-tow  followed  : 

”  Don’t  think  I  am  lazy,  that  I  do  not  stand  up  to 
speak,  for  I  am  lame  (he  is  partly  paralyzed).  It 
was  very  hard  for  me  to  get  here,  but  my  heart  was 
so  happy  because  you  come  that  I  could  not  keep 
away. 

”  If  you  had  come  when  we  expected  you,  or  if  we 
had  had  time  to  get  ready  now,  when  you  come,  it 
would  not  be  hard  to  show  how  we  honor  you. 

“  I  am  not  old,  but  I  remember  how  it  was  when 
chiefs  of  another  tribe  came.  We  had  great  rejoic¬ 
ings,  and  so  we  would  have  done  for  you  if  we  had 
known  when  you  were  coming.  We  are  sorry  that 
Dr.  Kendall  is  not  herewith  you.  That  is  right,  you 
have  come  and  started  in  among  American  Indians. 
Go  on.  Don’t  think  that  the  Tsimpseans  were  al¬ 
ways  as  now.  They  were  very  wicked  and  dark  and 
bad.  How  they  plunged  into  all  evil  !  But  God 
sent  Mr.  Crosby,  and  now  it  is  impossible  for  the 
devil  to  succeed.  I  believe  the  devil  now  have  to  die 


The  change. 


271 


at  Fort  Simpson.  So  it  will  not  be  long  before  the 
Stickeen  people  give  up  the  old  way.  One  thing 
will  conquer  Indian  people  sooner  than  anything. 
By  kindness  you  can  lead  them  in  the  new  way.” 

David  Swanson  said  : 

”  Our  hearts  are  very  happy  to  see  you  here.  When 
I  was  a  little  bo  and  we  were  so  blind,  nobody 
thought  of  us.  Now  we  see  the  great  interest  other 
people  take  in  our  welfare.  Then  very  few  good 
people  ever  notice  us.  Our  minister  get  a  letter  that 
you  were  coming.  I  think,  Why  is  this  ?  Why  does 
this  man  so  far  off  want  to  see  us  ?  It  must  be  God’s 
work.  I  am  but  a  young  man,  but  I  am  astonished 
at  the  changes  here.  Here  in  a  few  years  all  change 
so  fast.  Only  a  few  old  sticks  and  old  houses  left. 
All  change  so  fast  when  Jesus  come.  Surely  it  must 
be  God’s  work  to  change  here  and  put  it  in  people’s 
hearts  way  off  that  they  want  to  see  us.  This  makes 
our  hearts  very  strong  to  see  you.  We  now  believe 
that  other  people  are  thinking  and  praying  for  us. 
We  are  willing  to  go  where  God  wants  us.  We  have 
been  over  to  Tongas,  but  they  say  to  us.  You  are  Eng¬ 
lish  and  we  are  American.  We  wish  you  would  send 
them  an  American  preacher.  They  have  a  great  deal 
of  whiskey  at  Tongas,  and  it  is  bad  for  them.  It  was 
bad  for  us  a  few  years  ago.  Now  that  our  hearts 
are  changed,  we  feel  for  those  people  that  once  were 
our  enemies. 

”  We  see  no  difference  at  all  between  killing  men 
with  whiskey  and  killing  them  with  a  gun.  It  has 
been  put  away  by  us,  and  it  can  be  put  away  by  your 
people.  Your  government  has  strong  arm  and  can 


WHiSKEV. 


27^ 

stop  it.  We  could  go  from  here  and  destroy  all  of 
it,  but  we  have  no  right  to  do  it  in  your  country.  If 
in  our  country,  we  would  do  it,  and  the  people  be 
saved. 

‘  ‘  Whiskey  has  done  bad  work.  Among  some  tribes 
only  a  few  left — nearly  all  gone. 

“  One  year  and  a  half  ago  we  went  over  to  Ton¬ 
gas  and  preached  to  the  people,  and  they  were  all 
ready  for  a  minister,  and  now  we  hope  you  are  go 
ing  to  take  hold  of  it  and  give  them  a  minister.” 

After  a  suitable  reply  by  myself,  the  council  ad¬ 
journed  with  prayer  and  a  general  shaking  of  hands. 

Just  before  leaving  Fort  Simpson  I  was  waited 
upon  by  a  committee  of  the_council  to  inquire  what 
more  they  could  do  to  show  their  joy  at  my  visit. 

After  a  delightful  Sabbath  spent  with  Mr.  Crosby 
and  his  Indians,  I  continued  my  canoe  voyage  down 
the  coast  to  visit  the  celebrated  mission  of  the  Church 
Missionary  Society  at  Metlahkatlah  (Met-lah-katlah). 


ALASKA  SEA-GULL. 


CHAPTER  X. 


Missions  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society  of  England  in  British 
Columbia  on  the  Border  of  Alaska — Cannibalism— A  Christian 
Village — Triumphs  of  Grace — Tradition  Concerning  the  First 
Appearance  of  the  Whites. 

“  Hark  the  solemn  trumpet  sounding 
Loud  proclaims  the  jubilee  : 

’Tis  the  voice  of  grace  abounding, 

Grace  to  sinners  rich  and  free  ; 

Ye  who  know  the  joyful  sound, 

Publish  it  to  all  around.” 

There  are  few  chapters  in  missionary  history  more 
full  of  romance  or  more  wonderful  than  those  which 
record  the  work  of  God  among  the  native  tribes  of 
the  North  Pacific  coast. 

On  the  2d  of  May,  1669,  Charles  II.  granted  a 
charter  to  his  cousin,  Prince  Rupert,  conveying  the 
exclusive  right  to  form  settlements  and  carry  on  trade 
in  the  northern  regions  of  this  continent.  This  was 
the  commencement  of  the  famous  Hudson  Bay  Com¬ 
pany,  whose  hardy,  adventurous  agents  penetrated 
and  made  known  to  geographical  science  almost 
every  portion  of  the  great  north-land. 

Among  the  most  enterprising  of  these  pioneers  was 
Alexander  Mackenzie.  In  1793  he  had  pressed  forward 
to  the  head  waters  of  Peace  River,  crossed  the  summit 


WILLIAM  DUNCAN. 


274 

of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  stood  upon  the  shores  of 
the  Pacific  Ocean.  In  1806  Simon  Fraser  had 
crossed  the  mountains  and  established  a  post  of  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company  on  the  Pacific  side.  And 
about  1821  Fort  Rupert,  on  Vancouver’s  Island,  and 
Fort  Simpson,  on  the  borders  of  Alaska,  were  estab¬ 
lished.  The  establishment  of  these  posts  called  the 
attention  of  British  Christians  to  the  condition  of 
the  Indian  tribes,  which  number  in  British  Colum¬ 
bia  over"  28,000.  These  belong  to  several  nations 
with  distinct  languages.  They  are  again  subdivided 
into  many  tribes  speaking  different  dialects. 

It  was  not,  however,  until  1856  that  an  effort  was 
made  for  the  establishment  of  a  mission.  In  that 
year  Captain  (now  Admiral)  Prevost,  of  the  Royal 
Navy,  being  ordered  to  visit  that  coast,  offered  a  free 
passage  to  any  person  whom  the  Church  Missionary 
Society  would  commission.  In  response  to  this  offer 
Mr.  William  Duncan  was  sent  out,  arriving  at  Fort 
Simpson  on  the  ist  of  October,  1857. 

Mr.  Duncan  had  been  an  ordinary  clerk  in  a  mer¬ 
cantile  establishment.  The  secretaries  of  the  Church 
Missionary  Society,  upon  one  occasion,  had  appointed 
a  missionary  meeting  in  the  church  he  attended. 
When  they  arrived  from  London  the  evening  proved 
so  stormy  that  only  nine  persons  were  present  as  an 
audience.  One  of  the  secretaries  recommended  dis¬ 
missing  the  meeting,  but  another  said,  “  No  ;  we 
have  come  here  to  hold  a  missionary  service,  and  I 
am  in  favor  of  holding  it.”  The  addresses  were 
made,  and  at  the  close  of  the  meeting  Mr.  Duncan, 
one  of  the  nine,  offered  himself  as  a  missionary. 


THE  CLERK. 


275 


When  he  announced  his  purpose  to  his  employers, 
they  tried  to  dissuade  him  from  going.  They  offered 
to  increase  his  salary  to  one  thousand  dollars  and 
give  him  a  certain  percentage  in  the  sales,  that  would 
have  made  him  a  wealthy  man. 

But  he  could  not  be  turned  aside.  He  gave  up 
all,  and  after  some  time  at  the  missionary  training- 
school,  wCxUt  out,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  following 
narrative,  to  win  whole  tribes  to  the  Lord  Jesus. 
Upon  his  arrival  at  Fort  Simpson,  he  says,  “  I  found 
located  here  nine  tribes  of  Tsimpsean  Indians,  num¬ 
bering  by  actual  count  2300  souls.  To  attempt  to 
describe  their  condition  would  be  but  to  produce  a 
dark  and  revolting  picture  of  human  depravity.  The 
dark  mantle  of  degrading  superstition  enveloped 
them  all,  and  their  savage  spirits,  swayed  by  pride, 
jealousy,  and  revenge,  were  ever  hurrying  them  on 
to  deeds  of  blood.  Their  history  was  little  else  than 
a  chapter  of  crime  and  misery.  But  worse  was  to 
come.  The  following  year  the  discovery  of  gold 
brought  in  a  rush  of  miners.  Fire-water  now  began 
its  reign  of  terror,  and  debauchery  its  work  of  deso¬ 
lation.  On  every  hand  were  raving  drunkards  and 
groaning  victims.  The  medicine-man’s  rattle  and 
the  voice  of  wailing  seldom  ceased.” 

Some  of  these  scenes  are  thus  depicted  by  Mr. 
Duncan  : 

”  The  other  day  we  were  called  upon  to  witness  a 
terrible  scene.  An  old  chief  in  cold  blood  ordered  a 
slave  to  be  dragged  to  the  beach,  murdered,  and 
thrown  into  the  water.  His  orders  were  quickly 
obeyed.  The  victim  was  a  poor  woman.  Two  or 


276 


CANNIBALS. 


three  reasons  are  assigned  for  this  foul  act.  One  is 
that  it  is  to  take  away  the  disgrace  attached  to  his 
daughter,  who  had  been  suffering  for  some  time  with 
a  ball  wound  in  the  arm.  Another  report  is  that  he 
does  not  expect  his  daughter  to  recover,  so  he  has 
killed  this  slave  in  order  that  she  may  prepare  for 
the  coming  of  his  daughter  into  the  unseen  world. 
I  did  not  see  the  murder,  but  immediately  after  saw 
crowds  of  people  running  out  of  the  houses  near  to 
where  the  corpse  was  thrown  and  forming  themselves 
into  groups  at  a  good  distance  away,  from  fear  of 
what  was  to  follow.  Presently  two  bands  of  furious 
wretches  appeared,  each  headed  by  a  man  in  a  state 
of  nudity.  They  gave  vent  to  the  most  unearthly 
sounds,  and  the  naked  men  made  themselves  look  as 
unearthly  as  possible,  proceeding  in  a  creeping  kind 
of  stoop,  and  stepping  like  two  proud  horses,  at  the 
same  time  shooting  forward  each  arm  alternately, 
which  they  held  out  at  full  length  for  a  little  time  in 
the  most  dehant  manner.  Besides  this,  the  continual 
jerking  of  their  heads  back,  causing  their  long  black 
hair  to  twist  about,  added  much  to  their  savage  ap¬ 
pearance.  For  some  time  they  pretended  to  be  seek¬ 
ing  for  the  body,  and  the  instant  they  came  where 
it  lay  they  commenced  screaming  and  rushing  around 
it  like  so  many  angry  wolves.  Finally  they  seized 
it,  dragged  it  out  of  the  water,  and  laid  it  on  the 
beach,  where  they  commenced  tearing  it  to  pieces 
with  their  teeth.  The  two  bands  of  men  imme¬ 
diately  surrounded  them,  and  so  hid  their  horrid 
work.  In  a  few  minutes  the  crowd  broke  again,  when 
each  of  the  naked  cannibals  appeared  with  half  of 


dog-eaters 


. 


DOG-EATERS. 


279 


the  body  in  his  hands.  Separating  a  few  yat'ds,  they 
commenced,  amid  horrid  yells,  their  still  more  horrid 
feast  of  eating  the  raw  dead  body.  The  two  bands 
of  men  belonged  to  that  class  called  ‘  medicine-men.’ 

“  I  may  mention  that  each  party  has  some  char¬ 
acteristics  peculiar  to  itself  ;  but  in  a  more  general 
sense  their  divisions  are  but  three,  viz.,  those  who 
eat  human  bodies,  the  dog-eaters,  and  those  who 
have  no  custom  of  the  kind.  Early  in  the  morning 
the  pupils  would  be  out  on  the  beach,  or  on  the 
rocks,  in  a  state  of  nudity.  Each  had  a  place  in  the 
front  of  his  own  tribe  ;  nor  did  intense  cold  interfere 
in  the  slightest  degree.  After  the  poor  creature  had 
crept  about,  jerking  his  head  and  screaming  for 
some  time,  a  party  of  men  would  rush  out,  and  after 
surrounding  him  would  commence  singing.  The 
dog-eating  party  occasionally  carried  a  dead  dog  to 
their  pupil,  who  forthwith  commenced  to  tear  it  in 
the  most  dog-like  manner.  The  party  of  attendants 
kept  up  a  low  growling  noise,  or  a  whoop,  which 
was  seconded  by  a  screeching  noise  made  from  an 
instrument,  which  they  believe  to  be  the  abode  of  a 
spirit.  In  a  little  time  the  naked  youth  would  start 
up  again  and  proceed  a  few  more  yards  in  a  crouch¬ 
ing  posture,  with  his  arms  pushed  out  behind  him, 
and  tossing  his  flowing  black  hair.  All  the  while 
he  is  earnestly  watched  by  the  group  about  him,  and 
when  he  pleases  to  sit  down  they  again  surround 
him  and  commence  singing.  This  kind  of  thing 
goes  on,  with  several  different  additions,  for  some 
time.  Before  the  prodigy  finally  retires  he  takes  a 
run  into  every  house  belonging  to  his  tribe,  and  i^ 


28o 


CANNIBALISM. 


followed  by  his  train.  When  this  is  done,  in  some 
cases  he  has  a  ramble  on  the  tops  of  the  same  houses, 
during  which  he  is  anxiously  watched  by  his  attend¬ 
ants,  as  if  they  expected  his  flight.  By  and  by  he 
condescends  to  come  down,  and  they  then  follow 
him  to  his  den,  which  is  marked  by  a  rope  made  of 
red  bark,  being  hung  over  the  doorway  so  as  to  pre¬ 
vent  any  person  from  ignorantly  violating  its  pre¬ 
cincts.  None  are  allowed  to  enter  that  house  but 
those  connected  with  the  art  ;  all  I  know,  therefore, 
of  their  further  proceedings  is  that  they  keep  up  a 
furious  hammering,  singing,  and  screeching  for  hours 
during  the  day. 

“  Of  all  these  parties,  none  are  so  much  dreaded 
as  the  cannibals.  One  morning  I  was  called  to  wit¬ 
ness  a  stir  in  the  camp  which  had  been  caused  by 
this  set.  When  I  reached  the  gallery  I  saw  hun¬ 
dreds  of  Tsimpseans  sitting  in  their  canoes,  which 
they  had  just  pushed  away  from  the  beach.  I  was 
told  that  the  cannibal  party  were  in  search  of  a  body 
to  devour,  and  if  they  failed  to  And  a  dead  one,  it 
was  probable  they  would  seize  the  first  living  one 
that  came  in  their  way  ;  so  that  all  the  people  living 
near  the  cannibals’  house  had  taken  to  their  canoes 
to .  escape  being  torn  to  pieces.  It  is  the  custom 
among  these  Indians  to  burn  their  dead  ;  but  I  sup¬ 
pose  for  these  occasions  they  take  care  to  deposit  a 
corpse  somewhere  in  order  to  satisfy  these  inhuman 
wretches. 

“  These,  then,  are  some  of  the  things  and  scenes 
which  occur  in  the  day  during  the  winter  months, 
while  the  nights  are  taken  up  with  amusements^ 


SCHOOL  OPENEi). 


281 


singing  and  dancing.  Occasionally  the  medicine 
parties  invite  people  to  their  several  houses,  and  ex¬ 
hibit  tricks  before  them  of  various  kinds.  Some  of 
the  actors  appear  as  bears,  vrhile  others  wear  masks, 
the  parts  of  which  are  moved  by  strings.  The  great 
feature  of  their  proceedings  is  to  pretend  to  murder 
and  then  to  restore  to  life.  The  cannibal,  on  such 
occasions,  is  generally  supplied  with  two,  three,  or 
four  human  bodies,  which  he  tears  to  pieces  before 
his  audience.  Several  persons,  either  from  bravado 
or  as  a  charm,  present  their  arms  for  him  to  bite.  I 
have  seen  several  whom  he  had  thus  bitten,  and  I 
hear  two  have  died  from  the  effects.” 

Sustained  by  the  Divine  Arm,  Mr.  Duncan  set 
himself  resolutely  to  work.  Unforeseen  difficulties 
met  him  at  every  turn.  But  he  persevered.  At 
length  the  Gospel  leaven  began  to  work.  One  after 
another  began  to  listen  and  forsake  their  heathen 
practices  until  quite  a  body  of  converts  gathered 
around  him. 

On  June  28th,  1858,  he  opened  the  first  school  in  the 
house  of  a  chief,  with  twenty  six  children  and  fifteen 
adults.  The  interest  grew  so  rapidly  that  in  July 
the  erection  of  a  school  building  was  commenced. 
Before  the  close  of  the  year  there  were  one  hundred 
and  forty  children  and  fifty  adults  in  attendance. 

On  the  20th  of  December  a  chief  named  Legaic, 
accompanied  by  a  party  of  medicine-men,  enraged 
because  the  people  were  losing  their  interest  in  sor¬ 
cery  through  Mr.  Duncan’s  teachings,  attempted  to 
murder  him. 

This  same  Legaic  became  afterward  an  earnest 


I 


282  A  VISIT  TO  NAAS  RIVEk. 

Christian,  and,  like  Saul,  was  very  zealous  for  the 
faith  he  had  once  sought  to  destroy.  Upon  one  oc¬ 
casion,  in  reply  to  an  old  man  who  had  said  that  if 
Mr.  Duncan  had  come  when  the  first  white  traders 
came,  the  Tsimpseans  had  long  since  been  good  ; 
but  they  had  been  allowed  to  grow  up  in  sin  ;  they 
had  seen  nothing  among  the  first  whites  who  came 
among  them  to  unsettle  them  in  their  old  habits  ; 
that  these  had  rather  added  to  them  fresh  sins,  and 
now  their  sins  were  so  deep  laid  they  (he  and  the 
other  old  people)  could  not  change,  Legaic  said,  “  I 
am  a  chief,  a  Tsimpsean  chief.  You  know  I  have 
been  bad,  very  bad,  as  bad  as  any  one  here.  I  have 
grown  up,  and  grown  old  in  sin,  but  God  has  chang¬ 
ed  my  heart,  and  he  can  change  yours.  Think  not 
to  excuse  yourselves  in  your  sin  by  saying  you  are 
too  old  and  too  bad  to  mend.  Nothing  is  impossible 
v/ith  God.  Come  to  God  ;  try  his  way  ;  he  can  save 
you.” 

In  April,  i860,  Mr.  Duncan  visited  the  settlements 
on  the  Naas  River,  where  he  received  a  warm  wel¬ 
come.  One  of  the  chiefs,  rising  in  the  council  and 
spreading  his  hands  toward  heaven,  said,  ”  Pity  us. 
Great  Spirit  in  heaven,  pity  us.  This  chief  (pointing 
to  Mr.  Duncan)  has  come  to  tell  us  about  thee.  It 
is  good.  Great  Spirit.  We  want  to  hear.  Who  ever 
came  to  tell  our  forefathers  thy  will  ?  No  !  no  !  But 
this  chief  has  pitied  us  and  come.  He  has  thy  book. 
We  will  hear.  We  will  receive  thy  word.  We  will 
obey.” 

At  the  close  of  one  of  Mr.  Duncan’s  addresses  the 
people  responded,  ”  Good  is  your  speech.  Good, 


tradition  CONCERNtNG  THE  WHITES.  283 


good,  good  news.  We  greatly  desire  to  learn  the 
book.  We  wish  our  children  to  learn.”  After  which 
one  of  the  chiefs  arose  and  addressed  the  people  as 
follows  :  ”  We  are  not  to  call  upon  stones  and  stars 
now,  but  Jesus.  Jesus  will  hear.  Jesus  is  our 
Saviour.  Jesus  !  Jesus  !  Jesus  !  Jesus  Christ  !  Good 
news,  good  news  !  Listen  all.  Put  away  your  sins. 
God  has  sent  his  word.  Jesus  is  our  Saviour.  Take 
away  m)'-  sins,  Jesus.  Make  me  good,  Jesus.” 

In  May  Mr.  Duncan  visited  the  site  of  a  deserted 
village,  which  was  afterward  chosen  as  the  site  of 
the  Christian  village  of  Metlahkatlah. 

Encamping  near  an  adjacent  village,  an  old  chief 
gave  him  the  following  tradition  of  the  first  appear¬ 
ance  of  the  whites  : 

”  A  large  canoe  of  Indians  were  busy  catching  hal¬ 
ibut  in  one  of  these  channels.  A  thick  mist  envelop¬ 
ed  them.  Suddenly  they  heard  a  noise  as  if  a  large 
animal  was  striking  through  the  water.  Immediately 
they  concluded  that  a  monster  from  the  deep  was  in 
pursuit  of  them.  With  all  speed  they  hauled  up 
their  fishing-lines,  seized  the  paddles,  and  strained 
every  nerve  to  reach  the  shore.  Still  the  plunging 
noise  came  nearer.  Every  minute  they  expected  to 
be  engulfed  within  the  jaws  of  some  huge  creature. 
However,  they  reached  the  land,  jumped  on  shore, 
and  turned  round  in  breathless  anxiety  to  watch  the 
approach  of  the  monster.  Soon  a  boat,  filled  with 
strange-looking  men,  emerged  from  the  mist.  The 
pulling  of  the  oars  had  caused  the  strange  noise. 
Though  somewhat  relieved  of  fear,  the  Indians  stood 
spell-bound  with  amazement.  The  strangers  landed, 


WONDER-WORKING. 


2  84 

and  beckoned  the  Indians  to  come  to  them  and  bring 
them  some  fish.  One  of  them  had  over  his  shoulder 
what  was  supposed  only  to  be  a  stick  :  presently  he 
pointed  it  to  a  bird  that  was  flying  past  ;  a  violent 
poo  went  forth  ;  down  came  the  bird  to  the  ground. 
The  Indians  died.  As  they  revive  .x  again  they 
questioned  each  other  as  to  their  state,  whether  any 
were  dead,  and  what  each  had  felt.  The  whites 
then  made  signs  for  a  fire  to  be  lighted.  The  Ind¬ 
ians  proceeded  at  once,  according  to  their  usual 
tedious  fashion  of  rubbing  two  sticks  together.  The 
strangers  laughed,  and  one  of  them,  snatching  up  a 
handful  of  dry  grass,  struck  a  spark  into  a  little  pow¬ 
der  placed  under  it.  Instantly  flashed  another  poo 
and  a  blaze.  The  Indians  died.  After  this  the  new¬ 
comers  wanted  some  fish  bo.iling.  The  Indians 
therefore  put  the  fish  and  water  into  one  of  their 
square  wooden  buckets,  and  set  some  stones  in  the 
fire,  intending,  when  they  were  hot,  to  cast  them 
into  the  vessel,  and  thus  boil  the  food.  The  whites 
were  not  satisfied  with  this  way.  One  of  them  fetched 
a  tin  kettle  out  of  the  boat,  put  the  fish  and  the  water 
into  it,  and  then,  strange  to  say,  set  it  on  the  fire. 
The  Indians  looked  on  with  astonishment.  How¬ 
ever,  the  kettle  did  not  consume,  the  water  did  not 
run  into  the  fire.  Then  again  the  Indians  died. 
When  the  fish  was  eaten  the  strangers  put  a  kettle 
of  rice  on  the  fire.  The  Indians  looked  at  each 
other  and  whispered,  ‘Akshahn,  akshahn  ’  (maggots, 
maggots).  The  rice  being  cooked,  some  molasses 
was  mixed  with  it.  The  Indians  ‘^tared  and  said, 

‘  Coutzee  um  tsakah  ahket  ’  (the  grease  of  dead  pe^- 


KINDLING  A  FIRE  BY  FRICTION 


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school-boy’s  diary. 


287 


'pie).  The  whites  then  offered  this  to  the  Indians, 
who  refused  with  disgust.  Seeing  this  the  whites 
sat  down  and  eat  it  themselves.  The  sight  stunned 
the  Indians,  and  again  they  all  died.  Some  other 
similar  wonders  were  worked,  and  the  amazement 
which  the  Indians  felt  each  time  they  termed  death. 
The  Indians’  turn  had  now  come  to  make  the  white 
strangers  die.  They  dressed  their  heads  and  painted 
their  faces.  A  nok-nok  (wonder-working  spirit)  pos¬ 
sessed  them.  They  came  slowly  and  solemnly,  seated 
themselves  before  the  whites,  then  suddenly  lifted 
up  their  heads  and  stared.  Their  reddened  eyes  had 
the  desired  effect.  The  whites  died.” 

That  same  season,  at  the  request  of  the  Govern¬ 
ment,  Mr.  Duncan  visited  the  large  number  of  Ind¬ 
ians  congregated  at  Victoria.  While  there,  Shoo- 
quanahts,  one  of  his  school-boys,  aged  about  four¬ 
teen,  made  the  following  records  in  his  writing-book  : 

”  April  10. — I  could  not  sleep  last  night.  I  must 
work  hard  last  night.  I  could  not  be  lazy  last  night. 
No  good  lazy — very  bad.  We  must  learn  lo  make 
all  things.  When  we  understand  reading  and 
writing,  then  it  will  very  easy.  Perhaps  two  grass, 
then  we  understand.  If  we  no  understand  to  read 
and  to  write,  then  he  will  very  angry  Mr.  Duncan. 
If  we  understand  about  good  people,  then  we  will 
very  happy.” 

“April  17  :  School,  Fort  Simpson. — Shooquanahts 
not  two  hearts — always  one  my  heart.  Some  boys 
always  two  hearts  Only  one  Shooquanahts — 
not  two  heart,  no.  If  I  steal  anything  then  God 
will  see.  Bad  people  no  care  about  Son  of  God 


288 


A  NEW  SETTLEMENT. 


when  will  come  troubled  hearts,  foolish  people. 
Then  he  will  very  much  cry.  What  good  cry  ? 
Nothing.  No  care  about  our  Saviour  ;  always  for¬ 
get.  By  and  by  will  understand  about  the  Son  of 
God.” 

“  May  17. — I  do  not  understand  some  prayers — 
only  few  prayers  I  understand  ;  not  all  I  understand, 
no.  I  wish  to  understand  all  prayers.  When  I 
understand  all  prayers,  then  I  always  prayer  our 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  I  want  to  learn  to  prayer  to 
Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour  :  by  and  by  I  understand  all 
about  our  Saviour  Christ  ;  when  I  understand  all 
about  our  Saviour,  then  I  will  happy  when  1  die. 
If  I  do  not  learn  about  our  Saviour  Jesus,,  then  I 
will  very  troubled  my. heart  when  I  die.  It  is  good 
for  us  when  we  learn  about  our  Saviour  Jesus. 
When  I  understand  about  our  Saviour  Jesus,  then  I 
will  very  happy  when  I  die.  ’ 

As  the  number  of  converts  increased,  Mr.  Duncan 
felt  more  and  more  the  necessity  of  establishing  a 
new  village  where  the  Christian  Indians  could  be 
separated  from  the  sights  and  influences  of  heathen¬ 
ism.  As  early  as  May,  1859,  the  matter  had  been 
considered,  but  it  was  not  until  May,  1862,  that  the 
change  was  made.  At  that  time  he  removed  the 
mission  premises,  and  was  accompanied  by  fifty 
faithful  ones  some  twenty  miles  down  the  coast  to  a 
new  place,  which  they  named  Metlahkatlah.  At  this 
point  they  established  a  Christian  village,  with  the 
following  regulations  : 

I.  To  give  up  their  ‘  Ahlied,’  or  Indian  devilry  ; 
2.  To  cease  calling  in  conjurors  when  sick  ;  3.  To 


l^EGULATIONS. 


289 


cease  gambling  ;  4.  To  cease  giving  away  their  prop¬ 
erty  for  display  ;  5.  To  cease  painting  their  faces  ; 
6.  To  cease  drinking  intoxicating  drink  ;  7.  To  rest 
on  the  Sabbath  ;  8,  To  attend  religious  instruction  ; 
9.  To  send  their  children  to  school  ;  10.  To  be  cleanly  ; 
II.  To  be  industrious  ;  12.  To  be  peaceful  ;  13  To 
be  liberal  and  honest  in  trade  ;  14.  To  build  neat 
houses  ;  15.  To  pay  the  village  tax.” 

The  removal,  on  the  27th  of  May,  was  a  very  sol¬ 
emn  occasion.  Mr.  Duncan  says  : 

”  The  Indians  came  out  of  their  lodges  and  sat 
round  in  a  semicircle,  watching  the  proceedings. 
They  knew  something  was  going  to  happen,  but 
they  did  not  know  what.  When  an  Indian  watches, 
he  sits  upon  the  ground,  brings  his  knees  up  to  his 
chin,  wraps  his  mantle  round  him,  puts  his  head 
down,  and,  mute  and  motionless,  looks  at  a  distance 
like  a  stone.  Thus  they  were  seated,  and  the  ques¬ 
tion  was,  ‘  Will  anyone  stand  out  in  the  midst  of  the 
scoffing  heathen  and  declare  themselves  Christians  ?’ 
First  there  came  two  or  three,  trembling,  and  said 
they  were  willing  to  go  anywhere,  and  to  give  up 
all  for  the  blessed  Saviour’s  sake.  Others  were  then 
encouraged  ;  and  that  day  fifty  stood  forth,  and 
gathered  together  such  things  as  they  needed,  put 
them  into  their  canoes,  and  away  they  went.  On 
that  day  every  tie  was  broken  ;  children  were  sepa¬ 
rated  from  their  parents,  husbands  from  wives, 
brothers  from  sisters  ;  houses,  land,  and  all  things 
<  were  left — such  was  the  power  at  work  in  their 
minds.  All  that  were  ready  to  go  with  me  occupied 
six  canoes,  and  we  numbered  about  fifty  souls — men, 


290 


THE  departure. 


women,  and  children.  Many  Indians  were  seated  on 
the  beach  watching  our  departure  with  solemn  and 
anxious  faces,  and  some  promised  to  follow  us  in  a 
few  days.  The  party  with  me  seemed  filled  with 
solemn  joy  as  we  pushed  off,  feeling  that  their  long- 
looked-for  hit  had  actually  commenced.  I  felt  we 
were  beginning  an  eventful  page  in  the  history  of 
this  poor  people,  and  earnestly  sighed  to  God  for  his 
help  and  blessing.  The  next  day,  the  28th  of  May, 
we  arrived  at  our  new  home  about  two  p.m.  The  Ind¬ 
ians  I  had  sent  on  before  with  the  raft  I  found  hard 
at  work,  clearing  ground  and  sawing  plank.  They 
had  carried  all  the  raft  up  from  the  beach,  excepting 
a  few  heavy  beams,  erected  two  temporary  houses, 
and  had  planted  about  four  bushels  of  potatoes  for 
me.  Every  night  we  assembled,  a  happy  family,  for 
singing  and  prayer.  I  gave  an  address  on  each  oc¬ 
casion  from  some  portion  of  scriptural  truth  sug¬ 
gested  to  me  by  the  events  of  the  day. 

“  On  the  6th  of  June  a  fleet  of  about  thirty  canoes 
arrived  from  Fort  Simpson.  They  formed  nearly 
the  whole  of  one  tribe,  called  Keetlahn,  with  two  of 
their  chiefs.  We  now  numbered  between  three  hun¬ 
dred  and  four  hundred  souls,  and  our  evening  meet¬ 
ings  became  truly  delightful.” 

In  April,  1863,  the  Bishop  of  British  Columbia  vis¬ 
ited  the  new  station  and  baptized  fifty-seven  adults 
and  children.  He  writes  :  ”  It  was  my  office  to  ex¬ 

amine  the  candidates  for  baptism.  I  was  several 
days  engaged  in  the  work.  One  day  I  was  engaged 
from  eight  o’clock  in  the  morning  until  one  o’clock 
at  night.  It  was  the  last  day  I  had,  and  they  pressed 


AN  INDIAN  FAMILY  ON  THE  YUKON  RIVER, 


A  REVIVAL. 


293 


on  me  continually  to  be  examined.  Night  and  dark¬ 
ness  came.  The  Indians  usually  go  to  bed  with  the 
sun,  but  now  they  turned  night  into  day,  in  order 
that  they  might  be  ‘  fixed  in  God’s  ways,’  they  said. 

'  Any  more  Indians  ?  ’  I  kept  saying,  as  eight  o’clock, 
nine  o’clock,  ten  o’clock,  twelve  o’clock,  and  one 
o’clock  came,  and  there  were  always  more  Indians 
wishing  to  be  ‘  fixed  ’  on  God’s  side.  I  shall  never 
forget  the  scene.  The  little  oil-lamp  was  not  enough 
to  dispel  the  gloom  or  darkness  of  the  room,  but  its 
light  was  sufficient  to  cast  a  reflection  on  the  counte¬ 
nance  of  each  Indian  as  he  or  she  sat  before  me.  The 
Indian  countenance  is  usually  inexpressive  of  emo¬ 
tion,  but  now,  when  they  spoke  of  prayer  and  trust  in 
God,  there  was  the  uplifted  eye  and  evident  fervor  ; 
and  when  they  spoke  of  their  sins  there  was  a  down¬ 
cast  look,  the  flush  came  and  went  on  their  cheeks, 
and  the  big  tear  frequently  coursed  from  their  manly 
eyes.  Their  whole  hearts  seemed  to  speak  out  in 
their  countenances.” 

One  day  an  Indian  from  a  distance  came  to  Mr. 
Duncan,  saying,  ”  The  Indians  tell  me  that  you 
have  a  book  which  the  Great  Spirit  wrote,  and  it 
tells  about  me  ;  is  that  true  ?”  Being  assured  that  it 
was,  he  added,  ”  Can  I  see  it?”  Mr.  Duncan  step¬ 
ped  into  his  private  room  and  brought  out  a  large 
Bible,  which  he  opened  before  the  man.  The  Indian, 
gazing  at  it  intently,  said,  ”  Do  you  say  the  Great 
Spirit  wrote  that  ?”  Being  answered  in  the  affirma¬ 
tive,  he  continued,  ”  Then  tell  me  what  is  in  it.  Oh, 
tell  me  quick  !  I  want  to  know  what  the  Great 
Spirit  says  to  me.  I  want  to  do  what  the  Great 
Spirit  says.” 


294 


METLAH-KATLAH. 


The  new  settlement  has  now  grown  to  one  thou¬ 
sand  people,  forming  the  healthiest  and  strongest 
settlement  on  the  coast.  “  Rules  have  been  laid 
down  for  the  regulation  of  the  community,  to  which 
all  residents  are  obliged  to  conform,  and  the  use  of 
spirituous  liquors  strictly  prohibited.  All  are  re¬ 
quired  to  keep  the  Sabbath,  attend  church,  and  send 
their  children  to  school.  Industrious  habits  are  dili¬ 
gently  encouraged,  and  the  people  educated  as  farm¬ 
ers,  blacksmiths,  carpenters,  merchants,  etc.  They 
live  in  well-built  cottages,  and  have  a  beautiful 
Gothic  church  capable  of  seating  one  thousand  per¬ 
sons.  It  is  modelled  after  the  old  English  cathedral, 
and  was  built  by  the  Indian  mechanics  of  that  village. 
The  average  winter  attendance  is  six  hundred  to  eight 
hundred.  They  have  also  a  school  building  that  will 
accommodate  seven  hundred  pupils.  Besides  these 
they  have  carpenter  and  blacksmith  shops,  store¬ 
house,  saw-mill,  etc.,  all  owned  and  managed  by  the 
Indians  ;  while  all  around  the  bay  are  well  cultivated 
gardens  and  potato  patches.  The  main  street  of  the 
village  along  the  beach  is  lighted  with  street  lamps. 
Five  hundred  and  seventy-nine  adults  have  been  bap¬ 
tized  at  this  mission  ;  four  hundred  and  ten  infant  bap¬ 
tisms  ;  two  hundred  and  forty-three  deaths  among 
the  Christian  portion  of  the  people  ;  one  hundred  and 
thirty-seven  Christian  marriages,  independent  of  those 
who  were  found  married  according  to  their  tribal 
customs.  A  large  number  of  catechumens  are  under 
instruction  as  candidates  for  church-membership. 

The  population  of  looo  is  divided  into  ten  com¬ 
panies  or  wards,  each  having  its  elder  to  look  after 


KINCOLITH. 


295 


its  religious  services,  its  chief  as  leader  in  social 
gatherings,  and  one  or  two  constables.  The  village 
has  a  brass  band  of  twenty-four  instruments,  a  public 
reading-room  and  public  guest-house  for  the  lodg¬ 
ing  of  strange  Indians.  Fifty  two-story  dwelling- 
houses  were  in  process  of  erection  at  the  time  of 
my  visit.  The  present  mission  force  is  Mr.  William 
Duncan,  superintendent,  Rev.  W.  H.  Collison  and 
wife,  and  David  Leask,  native  assistant. 

These  Indians  are  a  happy,  industrious,  prosperous 
community  of  former  savages  and  cannibals,  saved 
by  the  grace  of  God.  This  is  the  oldest  and  most 
successful  Indian  mission  on  that  coast,  and  illus¬ 
trates  what  one  consecrated  man  by  the  Divine  help 
can  accomplish. 

In  1864  a  new  mission  was  established  at  Kincolith, 
for  the  five  tribes  of  Tsimpseans  on  the  Nasse  River, 
by  Rev.  R.  A.  Doolan.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev. 
Robert  Tomlinson,  M.D.,  who  remained  until  1879, 
when  Mr.  Tomlinson  left  to  establish  a  new  mission. 
The  village  is  now  in  charge  of  Mr.  Henry  Schutt, 
teacher.  This  mission  was  established  upon  the 
same  plan  as  Metlahkatlah,  and  numbers  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  people.  About  forty  miles  above 
Kincolith,  on  the  Nasse  River,  a  new  mission  has 
been  established  at  Kittackdamin,  and  placed  in 
charge  of  Arthur,  a  Nishkah  Indian  catechist.  A 
school-house  has  been  erected  and  a  good  school 
started. 

Another  native  teacher  has  been  placed  at  Kitwin- 
gach,  on  the  Skeena  River,  one  hundred  rniles  front 
Kittackdamin, 


296 


MASSETT. 


On  November  ist,  1876,  Rev.  W.  H.  Collison,  of 
Metlahkatlah,  established  a  mission  at  Massett,  on 
Queen  Charlotte’s  Island,  among  the  Ilydahs.  These 
are  the  most  daring  and  blood-thirsty  tribe  on  the 
Pacific  coast,  and  in  days  past  have  not  hesitated 
to  attack  and  capture  European  ships.  He  had  pre¬ 
viously  visited  them  in  July.  A  large  Indian  dance- 
house  was  secured  and  fitted  up  for  a  mission.  A 
morning  school  for  women  and  children  and  an  even¬ 
ing  one  for  men  were  opened.  Feeling  deeply  the 
need  for  it,  he  also  opened  a  home  for  girls.  During 
the  past  season  the  average  attendance  at  the  morning 
school  was  about  fifty.  At  the  Sabbath  services  the 
attendance  was  from  three  hundred  to  four  hundred. 
The  work  has  been  greatly  prospered.  Thirty  cate¬ 
chumens  are  under  instruction  as  candidates  for 
church-membership,  among  whom  are  four  principal 
chiefs.  One  of  the  chiefs.  Cow-hoe,  is  under  special 
instruction  for  a  teacher. 

Last  spring  the  work  at  Metlahkatlah  requiring 
Mr.  ColUson’s  presence,  he  returned  with  his  excel¬ 
lent  wife  to  that  station.  And  the  Rev.  George 
Sneath  was  sent  out  from  England  to  take  his  place 
at  Massett.  Mr.  Sneath  was  originally  sent  out  to 
the  Central  African  mission,  but  his  health  failed,  and 
he  was  transferred  to  the  north-west  coast.  Before 
leaving,  Mr.  Collison  wrote  from  Massett  : 

One  of  the  principal  chiefs  died  a  short  time 
since.  I  visited  him  during  his  illness,  and  held  ser¬ 
vice  in  his  house  weekly  for  the  five  weeks  preced¬ 
ing  his  death.  On  the  morning  of  the  day  on  which 
lie  died  I  visited  him,  and  found  him  surrounded  by 


DEATH  OF  A  CHIEF. 


297 


the  men  of  his  tribe  and  the  principal  medicine-man, 
who  kept  up  his  incantations  and  charms  to  the  last. 
He  was  sitting  up,  and  appeared  glad  to  see  me,  and 
in  answer  to  my  inquiries  he  informed  me  that  he 
was  very  low  indeed  and  his  heart  weak.  I  directed 
him  to  withdraw  his  mind  from  everything,  and  look 
only  to  Jesus,  who  alone  could  help  him.  He 
thanked  me  again  and  again  while  I  instructed  him  ; 
and  when  I  asked  him  if  he  would  like  me  to  pray 
with  him,  he  replied  that  he  would,  very  much.  I 
then  called  upon  all  to  kneel,  and,  with  bowed  head, 
he  followed  my  petitions  earnestly.  He  informed 
me  that,  had  he  been  spared,  he  would  have  been 
one  of  the  first  in  the  way  of  God  ;  but  I  endeavored 
to  show  him  that  even  then  he  might  be  so  by  faith 
in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

“  H  is  death  was  announced  by  the  firing  of  several 
cannon  which  they  have  in  the  village.  On  my  en¬ 
tering  the  house  the  scene  which  presented  itself  was 
indescribable — shrieking,  dancing,  tearing  and  burn¬ 
ing  their  hair  in  the  fire  ;  while  the  father  of  the  de¬ 
ceased,  who  had  just  been  pulled  out  of  the  fire^ 
rushed  to  it  again  and  threw  himself  upon  it.  He 
was  with  difficulty  removed,  and  I  directed  two  men 
to  hold  him  while  I  endeavored  to  calm  the  tumult. 

“  I  was  very  much  shocked  to  find  that  a  young 
man — a  slave — had  been  accused  by  the  medicine¬ 
men  as  having  bewitched  the  chief  and  induced  his 
sickness.  In  consequence  of  this  he  had  been  strip¬ 
ped  and  bound  hand  and  foot  in  an  old  out-house, 
and  thus  kept  for  some  days  without  food.  I  only 
learned  this  about  one  hour  before  the  death  of  the 


298 


A  chief’s  funeral. 


chief,  and  it  was  well  I  heard  it  even  then,  as  I 
learned  that  they  had  determined  to  shoot  him,  and 
a  man  had  been  told  of  who  had  his  gun  ready  for 
the  purpose.  I  lost  no  time  in  calling  the  chiefs  and 
the  friends  of  the  deceased,  and  showed  them  the 
wickedness  and  sinfulness  of  such  proceedings,  and 
how  by  their  thus  acting  they  had  probably  kept 
up  a  feeling  of  revenge  in  the  mind  of  their  friend 
who  had  just  expired.  They  accepted  my  advice 
and  had  him  unbound,  and  he  came  to  the  mission- 
house  to  have  his  wounds  dressed.  His  wrists  were 
swollen  to  an  immense  size,  and  his  back,  from  hip 
to  shoulder,  lacerated  and  burned  to  the  bone  by 
torches  of  pitch-pine.  He  was  deeply  grateful  to  me 
for  having  saved  him. 

“  The  dead  chief  was  laid  out,  and  all  those  of  tiis 
crest  came  from  the  opposite  village,  bringing  a 
large  quantity  of  swan’s-down,  which  they  scattered 
over  and  around  the  corpse.  At  my  suggestion 
they  departed  from  the  usual  custom  of  dressing  and 
painting  the  dead,  and  instead  of  placing  the  corpse 
in  a  sitting  posture  they  consented  to  place  it  on 
the  back.  The  remains  were  decently  interred,  and 
I  gave  an  address  and  prayed  ;  thus  their  custom  of 
placing  the  dead  in  hollowed  poles,  carved  and 
erected  near  the  house,  has  been  broken  through, 
and  since  this  occurred  many  of  the  remains  which 
were  thus  placed  have  been  buried. 

“  Dancing,  which  was  carried  on  every  night  with¬ 
out  intermission  during  our  first  winter  on  the  islands, 
has  been  greatly  checked.  Several,  including  two 
of  the  chiefs,  have  given  it  up  entirely.  The  medi- 


FORT  RUPERT. 


299 


cine-men  have  informed  them  that  those  who  give  up 
dancing  will  die  soon.  They  are  well  aware  that  the 
abandonment  of  this  practice  will  weaken  their  in¬ 
fluence,  and  hence  their  opposition.” 

Some  three  or  four  years  ago  the  head  chief  of  the 
Indians  upon  the  northern  end  of  Vancouver’s  Island, 
at  Fort  Rupert,  visited  Metlahaktlah,  and  asked  for 
a  teacher,  saying  that  ”  a  rope  had  been  thrown  out 
from  Metlahpatlah  which  was  encircling  and  draw¬ 
ing  together  all  the  Indian  tribes  into  one  common 
brotherhood.” 

In  response  to  his  earnest  entreaty,  it  was  at  length 
arranged  that  Rev.  A.  J.  Hall  should  go  and  estab¬ 
lish  a  mission  among  them.  This  he  did,  opening  a 
school  on  April  ist,  1878.  The  tribe  number  about 
3500,  a  strong  and  intelligent  race,  given  to  deadly 
feuds,  cannibal  feasts,  slave-catching  expeditions, 
and  infanticide. 

The  Roman  Catholics  have  had  no  less  than  twelve 
priests  among  these  people  at  different  times,  but  all 
have  left  without  accomplishing  anything. 

Mr.  Hall  has  an  attendance  of  from  forty  to  sixty 
at  the  day-school,  and  frequently  audiences  of  a  hun¬ 
dred  upon  the  Sabbath. 

In  a  late  letter  he  says  ”  The  medicine-men  still 
exercise  much  power.  A  few  days  since  I  went  to 
see  a  sick  woman,  I  entered  the  house  and  heard 
strange  noises.  A  medicine-woman,  with  her  back 
turned  to  me,  was  blowing  very  scientifically  on  the 
breast  of  the  sick  woman,  and  occasionally  making  a 
peculiar  howl.  I  watched  the  practitioner  unob- 
gerved,  and  when  she  turned  round  and  saw  me  she 


CRUELTIES  OF  HEATHENISM. 


300 

gave  me  a  grin  of  recognition  and  then  continued 
her  blowing.  For  this  she  was  paid  two  blankets. 
A  famous  doctor  was  recently  sent  for  from  a  neigh¬ 
boring  village.  I  heard  him  blowing  in  the  same 
way,  and  for  his  visit  he  received  thirty  blankets. 
These  people  are  divided  into  ‘  clans,’  and  each 
clan  imitates  an  animal  when  dancing.  The  chil¬ 
dren  follow  their  fathers  and  grandfathers  in  the 
same  dance  year  by  year.  One  party,  when  they 
perform,  are  hung  up  with  hooks  in  a  triangular 
frame,  one  hook  being  stuck  into  the  back  and  two 
more  into  the  legs,  and  suspended  in  this  way  they 
are  carried  through  the  village.  Another  clan  have 
large  fish-hooks  put  into  their  flesh,  to  which  lines 
are  attached.  The  victim  struggles  to  get  away,  and 
those  who  hold  the  lines  haul  him  back  ;  eventually 
his  flesh  is  torn  and  he  escapes.  '  By  suffering  in  this 
way  they  keep  up  the  dignity  of  their  ancestors,  and 
are  renowned  for  their  bravery.” 

During  Mr.  Tomlinson’s  residence  at  Kincolith  he 
was  accustomed  to  make  an  annual  visit  to  the 
Indians  in  the  Kish-pi-youx  valley,  on  the  Upper 
Skeena.  Upon  the  recommendation  of  Bishop  Bom- 
as,  Mr.  Tomlinson  removed  there  last  April  and 
v.pened  up  a  mission  farm,  from  which  he  hopes  to 
reach  several  tribes.  Having  long  treated  their  sick 
at  the  mission  hospital  at  Kincolith,  he  is  said  to 
have  acquired  great  influence  over  them. 

The  Church  Missionary  Society  are  so  much  en¬ 
couraged  by  the  progress  of  the  missions  on  the* 
North  Pacific  coast  that  they  have  erected  them 
into  a  bishopric,  called  Caledonia,  and  appointed 


BISHOP  RIDLEY. 


301 


Rev.  W.  Ridley  as  bishop.  For  the  more  efficient 
working  of  his  field  he  has  received  funds  to  pur¬ 
chase  a  small  mission  steamer,  which  is  very  essential 
for  carrying  on  the  work  among  the  many  islands 
of  his  diocese. 

The  success  which  has  attended  the  labors  of  these 
British  missionaries  should  be  a  great  encouragement 
to  the  American  church  in  her  work  among  the 
neighboring  tribes  of  Alaska. 

After  a  pleasant  visit  at  Metlahkatlah,  I  returned 
by  canoe  to  Fort  Simpson, 


A  CANOE  VOYAGE, 


CHAPTER  XI. 


Missions  of  the  Methodist  Church  of  Canada  in  British  Columbia 
— A  Great  Revival — Wonderful  Experiences. 

“  The  light  shall  glance  on  distant  lands, 

And  Indian  tribes,  in  joyful  bands, 

Come  with  exulting  haste  to  prove 
The  power  and  greatness  of  His  love.” 

The  missions  to  the  Indians  on  the  north-west  coast 
of  America  have  called  out  three  remarkable  men 
— the  Rev.  Innocentius  Veniaminoff,  of  the  Greek 
Church,  who,  commencing  as  an  humble  priest  in 
Alaska,  was  made  bishop  and  then  primate  of  the 
Greek  Church  of  all  Russia  ;  Mr.  William  Duncan,  of 
the  Church  Missionary  Society  of  London,  who  built 
up  the  model  Indian  village  of  Metlahkatlah,  and  the 
Rev.  Thomas  Crosby,  missionary  of  the  Methodist 
Church  of  Canada  at  Fort  Simpson,  on  the  edge  of 
Alaska.  On  the  28th  day  of  February,  1862,  a  local 
preacher  in  the  Methodist  Church,  Mr.  Crosby  left 
Canada  for  Indian  work  in  British  Columbia. 

In  the  spring  of  1863  he  commenced  teaching  an 
Indian  mission  school  at  Nanaimo.  In  six  months 
he  so  far  secured  a  knowledge  of  the  language  that 
he  could  preach  in  it.  In  1867  he  became  a  candidate 
fgr  grdination,  and  took  a  circuit  extending  up  and 


A.  GREAT  MEDICINE  MAN, 


ifdi  ^ 


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# 


REV.  THOMAS  CROSBY. 


305 


down  the  coast  among  the  Indians  for  one  hundred 
and  eighty  miles,  and  up  the  Fraser  River  to  Yale. 
In  1869  his  first  field  was  visited  by  an  extensive  re¬ 
vival,  and  hundreds  among  the  Flathead  Indians 
were  brought  to  Christ.  His  great  success  attracted 
the  attention  of  his  denomination,  so  that  when  a 
picked  man  was  wanted  to  go  to  the  tribes  in  the  dis¬ 
tant  north  he  was  selected.  The  work  among  those 
tribes  had  commenced  in  a  remarkable  manner. 

In  1862  there  was  in  Victoria  a  Mrs.  Dix,  who  was 
a  full-blooded  Indian  woman,  the  daughter  of  a  great 
chief,  and  a  chiefess  in  her  own  right.  When  a  child 
she  was  at  stated  times  taken  up  a  great  river  in  a 
canoe  and  taught  to  worship  a  large  mountain-peak. 
Her  mother’s  god  was  a  fish.  Desiring  to  learn  some¬ 
thing  of  the  white  man’s  God,  she  commenced  at¬ 
tending  religious  services  in  Victoria,  and  followed 
it  up  for  seven  years  without  finding  light  or  comfort. 
About  1868  a  great  medicine-man  named  “  Amos,” 
who  in  his  incantations  had  torn  in  pieces  with  his 
teeth  and  eaten  dead  bodies,  commenced  attending 
the  Methodist  Church  and  prayer-meeting.  This 
called  the  attention  of  the  church  to  the  condition 
of  the  Indian  population,  and  a  Sabbath-school  was 
st-arted  for  their  benefit.  The  second  Sabbath  no 
Indian  was  present  at  the  school.  Upon  visiting 
their  camp  they  were  found  making  a  medicine-man, 
with  all  the  accompanying  cruelties.  But  the  school 
was  persevered  in.  Amos  was  one  of  the  first  con¬ 
verts,  and  became  a  class-leader.  About  this  time 
Mrs.  Dix  found  her  way  to  the  school  and  to  Christ. 
A  revival  commenced  among  the  Indians,  during 


3o6 


AN  INDIAN  REVIVAL. 


which  meetings  were  kept  up  for  nine  weeks,  and 
numbers  were  brought  into  the  church. 

With  her  own  conversion  Mrs.  Dix  became  anxious 
for  the  conversion  of  her  daughter-in-law  and  son, 
Alfred,  who  was  chief  of  a  tribe  several  hundred  miles 
up  the  coast.  She  spent  whole  nights  in  prayer  that 
God  would  bring  him  to  Victoria  under  the  revival 
influences.  She  asked  her  friends,  white  and  Ind¬ 
ian,  to  join  her  in  this  petition.  During  the  meet¬ 
ings  that  son,  who  had  not  been  home  for  years, 
landed  from  the  steamer  at  Victoria,  after  a  canoe¬ 
load  of  whiskey.  He  was  prevailed  on  to  attend 
church  with  his  wife  and  mother.  All  the  depravity 
of  his  nature  rose  up  against  what  he  had  heard  and 
seen.  He  was  angry  at  his  mother,  himself,  and 
everybody.  Still  more  earnest  prayer  was  then 
made  for  him,  and  prayer  prevailed.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  were  brought  to  Christ.  With  the  fire  kindled 
in  their  own  hearts,  they  hastened  back  to  their  own 
people,  near  the  Alaska  line,  bearing  the  glad  tidings 
of  great  joy.  As  of  old  when  Parthians  and  Medes  and 
dwellers  in  Asia  and  strangers  at  Rome  and  others 
carried  back  to  their  own  people  the  fire  and  tidings 
of  the  Pentecostal  season,  so  these  Indians  carried 
the  power  of  the  Gospel  with  them  to  their  homes  at 
the  Skeena,  the  Nasse,  the  Tastazellaroka,  and  other 
places  too  numerous  to  mention. 

An  old  gray-haired,  blind  Indian,  hundreds  of  miles 
away,  heard  the  good  news  that  Jesus  Christ  came 
into  the  world  to  save  sinners — that  he  who  made  the 
sun  and  moon,  the  mountains  and  rivers  and  fish, 
had  sent  his  boy  to  the  world  to  take  the  “  bad  out 


THE  BLIND  INDIAN. 


30; 

of  him.”  How  his  heart  leaped  for  joy  !  Again  and 
again  he  had  gone  into  the  deep,  gloomy  canons  of 
the  mountains  and  fasted  by  the  day  and  the  week 
to  get  the  bad  out  of  him.  Under  the  lashings  of 
conscience  he  had  gone  to  the  medicine-men  of  his 
people  and  laid  piles  of  costly  furs  before  them,  if 
they  would  only  bring  him  peace.  As  gray  hairs 
came,  and  he  himself  became  a  medicine-man,  in  his 
desperation  he  had,  after  the  horrible  rites  of  his 
order,  torn  the  flesh  from  half-putrid  human  corpses 
to  get  the  bad  out  of  him,  but  all  in  vain.  And  now 
he  hears  of  one  who  can  certainly  take  the  bad  out  of 
him.  He  wants  to  go  to  him  at  once.  He  wants  to 
hear  all  about  him.  His  Indian  informer  can  only 
assure  him  that  Jesus  is  the  Saviour,  and  that  if  he 
could  go  to  the  coast  there  is  a  man  there  that  would 
tell  him  all  about  Jesus.  Taking  a  grandson  to  lead 
him,  he  starts  for  the  coast. 

Many  a  lonely  mile  they  paddled  their  canoe,  and 
many  the  suns  that  set  upon  their  wild  evening  camp. 
When  near  the  coast  they  were  met  by  a  Christian. 
The  blind  man  was  ever  repeating  to  himself,  as  he 
groped  along,  ”  Jesus  Christ  came  into  the  world  to 
save  sinn-ers.”  This  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
Christian,  who  halted  the  party  and  learned  the 
above  history.  The  Indian  was  directed  to  a  mission 
station,  and,  like  the  Ethiopian  eunuch  of  old,  went 
on  his  way  rejoicing. 

Alfred,  the  chief,  upon  his  return  from  Victoria, 
commenced  at  once  to  hold  meetings  among  his  own 
people  at  Fort  Simpson.  In  connection  with  his 
wife  he  opened  a  day-school,  which  was  soon  at- 


3o8 


FORT  SIMPSON. 


tended  by  over  two  hundred  pupils.  Letter  after 
letter  was  sent  to  Victoria  urging  the  appointment 
of  a  missionary. 

In  the  spring  of  1874  they  were  visited  by  Rev. 
W.  Pollard,  of  Victoria,  who  held  meetings  among 
them  and  baptized  a  large  number.  After  the  de¬ 
parture  of  Mr.  Pollard  the  meetings  were  carried  on 
by  the  people  themselves  and  with  the  aid  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  So  that  when  Rev.  Thomas  Crosby  reached 
F'ort  Simpson,  in  the  fall  of  1874,  he  found  a  glorious 
work  of  grace  in  progress,  and  not  a  single  family 
that  had  not  already  renounced  paganism  and  were 
impatiently  awaiting  his  arrival  to  be  taught  more 
perfectly  in  the  new  way 

It  is  proper  to  say  that  this  preparatory  work  was 
partly  due  to  the  leaven  of  Mr.  Duncan’s  labors  for 
the  Church  Missionary  Society  and  partly  to  the  re¬ 
vival  at  Victoria. 

With  enthusiasm  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crosby  set  them¬ 
selves  to  the  work,  and  by  God’s  blessing  a  village 
of  Christian  Indians  has  grown  up  around  them. 
Their  beautiful  new  church  is  Gothic  in  style,  fifty  by 
eighty  feet  in  size,  with  buttresses,  and  a  tower  one 
hundred  and  forty  feet  high. 

During  the  finishing  of  the  church  an  unusual 
storm  unroofed  it,  and  for  a  time  the  whole  church 
was  in  danger  of  being  destroyed.  As  the  first  por¬ 
tion  of  the  roof  came  down  with  a  crash,  an  old  Ind¬ 
ian  ran  to  one  of  the  stores,  and  securing  a  coil  of 
rope  ran  back  to  the  church  out  of  breath.  Younger 
and  stronger  men  mounted  the  swaying  building 
and  fastened  the  rope  to  the  gable  end.  Others 


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UNROOFING  THE  CHURCH. 


3II 

tightened  the  rope  and  fastened  the  other  end  to  a 
large  stump.  Then  kneeling  down  around  the 
stump  in  a  beating  storm  they  uncovered  their  heads, 
and  one  prayed  that  the  Lord  would  have  pity  upon 
them  and  spare  his  house,  saying,  “  Lord,  you  have 
taken  the  roof  off  your  house  ;  that  is  enough.  Now, 
Lord,  don’t  do  any  more.”  The  walls  of  the  build¬ 
ing  being  firmly  lashed  with  ropes  to  neighboring 
rocks  and  stumps,  the  people  repaired  to  the  school- 
•  house.  A  chief  arose  and  called  out  that  it  was  not 
a  time  for  long  speeches,  but  action.  Instantly 
twenty  or  thirty  men  left  the  house,  and  the  mission¬ 
ary  was  alarmed  lest  they  were  offended  ;  others  fol¬ 
lowed  them,  but  soon  they  commenced  returning 
with  rolls  of  blankets  (the  currency  of  that  region) 
on  their  shoulders  and  laid  them  in  front  of  the 
teacher’s  desk,  as  their  offering  to  the  Lord.  The 
fire  was  kindled,  and  amid  tears  and  laughter,  blank¬ 
ets,  coats,  shirts,  shawls,  guns,  finger  and  ear  rings, 
bracelets,  furs,  and  indeed  almost  everything  that 
could  be  turned  into  money,  were  laid  upon  the  table 
of  offering,  to  the  value  of  ^400 — a  striking  commen¬ 
tary  on  the  constraining  love  of  Christ  in  their  hearts. 

Schools  of  various  kinds  have  been  successfully  es¬ 
tablished.  The  day-school  in  winter  numbers  about 
one  hundred  and  twenty.  The  Sunday-school  is  di¬ 
vided  into  three  parts — before  morning  service  Bible- 
classes  are  held,  when  the  previous  Sunday  lesson  is 
taken  up,  read,  and  discussed.  In  the  afternoon  the 
children  are  taken  to  the  school-house,  where  les¬ 
sons  suitable  to  their  understanding  are  given  by 
Mrs.  Crosby  and  Miss  C.  S.  Knott.  Mr.  Crosby 


3I2 


INDIAN  REVIVAL. 


has  the  adults  under  his  care  at  the  same  time  in  the 
church. 

Thus  the  whole  church  is  reached,  and  a  whole  tribe 
are  moving  steadily  forward  to  a  higher  civilization. 
Under  the  influence  of  Christianity  the  Indians  are 
abandoning  their  large  houses,  which  are  the  com¬ 
mon  abode  of  several  families,  and  building  separate 
houses  for  each  family.  During  the  past  two  years 
sixty  such  dwellings  have  been  erected  by  Indian 
mechanics,  and  the  old  houses  are  fast  disappearing  • 
with  other  remnants  of  their  old  civilization. 

Under  the  leadership  of  Mr.  Crosby  the  Indians 
have  an  annual  industrial  fair,  at  which  small  pre¬ 
miums  are  given  for  the  best  specimens  of  carving 
in  wood  or  silver,  models  of  dwellings  and  canoes, 
best  vegetables,  best  kept  garden,  best  made  win¬ 
dow-sash,  panelled  doors,  cured  salmon,  etc. 

During  the  winter  of  ’77  and  ’78  a  revival  came 
with  great  power  among  them.  One  evening  a  great 
crowd  came  and  asked  to  be  admitted  to  the  church. 
As  Rev.  Mr.  Crosby  was  absent,  his  able  and  efficient 
assistant.  Miss  C.  S.  Knott,  went  into  the  church 
with  them.  The  whole  assembly  seemed  moved  to 
strong  crying  and  tears  and  excited  confessions  of 
sin.  After  a  lengthy  meeting  she  dismissed  them 
and  closed  the  church,  but  they  refused  to  go  home. 
They  gathered  in  groups  in  the  churchyard,  although 
it  was  raining  almost  incessantly.  They  scarcely  eat 
or  slept,  neglected  themselves  and  their  children. 
The  whole  place  was  one  of  weeping.  These  strong 
manifestations  lasted  three  days  and  nights,  when 
they  calmed  down. 


HEATHEN  DANCE,  ALASKA. 


A  MISSION  TO  NAAS.  315 

Mr.  Crosby  returning,  meetings  were  held  for  a 
number  of  weeks,  until  large  numbers  were  brought 
into  the  church.  Many  flocked  in  from  the  neigh¬ 
boring  tribes,  and,  finding  Jesus,  returned  to  their 
own  people  to  spread  the  story  of  salvation. 

As  at  Fort  Simpson,  so  on  the  Naas  River  the 
converted  natives  from  Fort  Simpson  carried  the 
messages  of  salvation  into  the  regions  beyond  in  ad¬ 
vance  of  the  white  missionary.  And  upon  the  shores 
of  the  Naas,  where  for  ages  had  been  heard  the  rattle 
and  wild  howling  of  incantations  of  medicine-men, 
was  heard  for  the  first  time  the  song  of  redeeming 
love.  Mr.  Crosby  made  several  trips  to  the  Naas 
villages. 

In  response  to  their  earnest  entreaties  he  secured 
the  appointment  of  Rev.  Alfred  E.  Greene.  Mr. 
Greene,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Crosby,  reached  the 
lower  Naas  Indian  village  August  9th,  1877,  and  mot 
a  very  warm  welcome.  Guns  were  fired,  flags  hoisted 
on  trees  and  poles,  and  the  population  turned  out 
enpiasse,  and  many  rejoiced  that  the  day  was  break¬ 
ing  on  the  Naas  people  after  a  long  dark  night. 

A  chief  who  was  *  at  Naas,  and  whose  adopted 
daughter  is  a  member  of  the  church,  said,  “  I  heard 
my  daughter  sing  and  read  and  pray.  I  want  all 
this  people  to  do  the  same.  Give  ils  this  great  light. 
We  have  heard  of  the  Fort  Simpson  ■  people,  how 
wise  they  are.  They  used  to  come  up  here  to  fight 
us,  but  they  don’t  any  more  ;  all  peace  now.  We 
want  to  be  just  like  them.” 

One  old  chief,  as  he  leaned  upon  his  staff,  said, 
“  I  am  getting  old  ;  my  body  is  getting  weaker  every 


3i6  an  INDIAN  PROCLAMATION. 

day  ;  I  am  obliged  to  have  three  legs  to  walk  with 
now  (referring  to  his  staff)  ;  this  tells  me  I  shall 
soon  die.  I  don’t  know  what  hour  I  shall  be  called 
away  ;  I  want  to  hear  about  the  great  God,  and  I 
want  my  children  to  be  taught  to  read  the  Good’ 
Book  ;  I  want  them  to  go  in  the  new  way  ;  we  are 
tired  of  the  old  fashion.” 

Another  said,  ”  My  heart  got  very  warm  last  night 
when  I  heard  God’s  Word.  I  heard  a  little  last 
spring.  I  was  down  the  river  and  saw  Mr.  Crosby, 
and  I  took  just  a  little  of  the  good  medicine,  and  my 
heart  felt  well,  but  after  the  missionary  went  away 
I  had  trouble,  and  my  heait  got  all  mixed  up.  I  did 
bad  and  my  heart  got  very  sick,  so  I  say  to  myself, 
When  the  good  medicine  comes  again  1  will  take 
more  of  it.  Last  night  T  took  more  of  it  ;  now  my 
eyes  open  and  everything  look  beautiful.”  Then  as 
he  pointed  up  the  river  he  added,  ”  There  are  ten 
tribes  of  people  living  up  there,  missionary  ;  we  give 
them  all  to  you.  Go  and  see  them  ;  they  all  want  to 
know  the  Great  Spirit.”  They  then  presented  them 
the  following  touching  address  : 

”  We,  the  chiefs  and  people  of  the  Naas,  welcome 
ycu  from  our  hearts  on  your  safe  arrival  here  to  be¬ 
gin  in  earnest  the  mission  work  you  promised  us  last 
spring. 

Our  past  life  has  been  bad — very  bad.  We  have 
been  so  long  left  in  darkness  that  we  fear  vou  will 
not  be- able  to  do  much  for  our  old  people,  but  for 
our  young  we  have  great  hopes.  We  wish  from  our 
hearts  to  have  our  young  men,  women,  and  children 


REVIVAL  ON  THE  NAAS. 


317 


read  and  write,  so  that  they  may  understand  the 
duties  they  owe  to  their  great  Creator  and  to  each 
other. 

“  You  will  find  great  difficulties  in  the  way  of  such 
work,  but  great  changes  cannot  be  expected  in  one 
day.  You  must  not  get  discouraged  by  a  little  trou¬ 
ble,  and  we  tell  you  again  that  we  will  all  help  you 
as  much  as  we  can. 

“We  believe  this  work  to  be  of  God.  We  have 
prayed,  as  you  told  us,  and  now  we  think  that  God 
has  heard  our  prayers  and  sent  you  to  us,  and  it 
seems  to  us  like  the  day  breaking  in  on  our  dark¬ 
ness,  and  we  think  that  before  long  the  great  Sun 
will  shine  upon  us  and  give  us  more  light. 

“  We  hope  to  see  the  white  men  that  settle  among 
us  set  us  a  good  example,  as  they  have  had  the  light 
so  long  they  know  what  is  right  and  what  is  wrong. 
We  hope  they  will  assist  us  to  do  what  is  good,  that 
we  may  become  better  and  better  every  day  by  fol¬ 
lowing  their  example. 

“  We  again  welcome  you  from  our  hearts,  and  hope 
that  the  mission  here  will  be  like  a  great  rock,  never 
to  be  moved  or  washed  away  ;  and  in  order  to  this 
we  will  pray  to  the  Great  Spirit  that  his  blessing 
may  rest  upon  this  mission  and  upon  us  all. 

(Signed)  “  Chief  of  the  Mountains, 

“  And  six  other  chiefs.” 

Messrs.  Crosby  and  Greene  commenced  a  series  of 
meetings  extending  over  five  days.  Three  services 
were  held  each  day.  Soon  the  house  was  filled  with 
the  cries  of  Indians  under  conviction  of  sin.  These 


A  STRIKING  CONVERSION. 


31S 

services  were  continued  for  weeks  by  Mr,  Greene, 
God’s  spirit  was  present  with  a  power  that  shook  the 
heathenism  of  that  section  to  its  foundation.  Des¬ 
perate  and  depraved  sorcerers  bowed  at  the  foot  of 
the  cross  and  were  made  new  creatures  in  Christ 
Jesus. 

An  instance  of  this  is  thus  given  by  the  mis¬ 
sionary  :  “A  chief  of  considerable  influence,  who 
has  been  bitter  against  any  missionary  coming  here, 
came  to  me  to  tell  how  miserable  he  had  been 
for  two  weeks.  He  said,  ‘  God  had  troubled  his 
heart  because  he  was  so  wicked,  and  he  was  de¬ 
termined  he  would  not  be  a  Christian,  but  he  had 
no  rest  day  or  night,  and  he  was  angry  with  every¬ 
body  ;  he  got  so  bad  that  his  wife  could  not  live 
with  him  any  longer.’  Then  he  said  when  we  talked 
to  him  in  his  house,  he  saw  it  was  all  sin  that  made 
this  trouble,  and  something  told  him  to  leave  his  sins 
and  become  a  Christian,  but  then  he  thought  of  his 
blankets  that  he  potlatched  *  last  year,  and  as  he 
gave  away  all  he  had,  next  year  he  would  commence 
to  serve  God  and  receive  it  back,  so  that  he  thought 
he  would  not  get  a  new  heart  till  he  got  his  property 
back.  ‘  But, ’.said  he,  ‘  my  heart  got  so  sick  I  could 
neither  eat  or  work  or  sleep  ;  I  was  nearly  dead  ; 
then  I  think  of  God,  and  Sunday,  while  in  the  house, 
as  I  hear  God’s  word,  I  say  I  will  give  my  heart, 
blankets,  and  all  to  God,  and  the  same  moment  all 

*  Potlatch  means  a  gift.  It  is  a  custom  of  the  northern  tribes 
for  one  who  aspires  to  the  chieftainship  to  make  a  great  feast  and 
give  away  the  accumulation  of  years,  with  the  expectation  of  re¬ 
ceiving  it  all  back  with  interest  in  the  future. 


'A  NEW  USE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 


319 


my  trouble  went  away — my  heart  became  so  happy 
sometimes  I  think  I  am  not  the  same  man.’  He 
went  and  told  his  wife  ;  they  became  reconciled,  and 
as  he  told  his  experience  in  the  crowded  class-meet¬ 
ing,  many  wept  for  joy. 

“He  put  his  idols  away,  he  buried  his  bad  medi¬ 
cines  in  a  quaking  bog,  he  married  his  aged  consort, 
the  companion  of  his  life,  and  hand  in  hand  with 
her  he  approached  the  table  of  the  Lord.  Night 
after  night  he  comes  to  learn  from  the  missionary’s 
lips  the  sweetly  simple  yet  expressive  prayer  of 
Christ,  ‘  Our  F'ather  which  art  in  heaven,  hallowed 
be  thy  name.’  ” 

As  the  result  of  these  meetings  a  class  of  seventy- 
five  ^was  at  once  formed. 

/"The  following  winter  an  old  man,  who  had  opposed 
the  coming  of  the  missionary,  as  he  felt  death  ap¬ 
proaching  requested  his  children  to  bring  him  to 
the  mission.  He  was  very  anxious  for  the  mission¬ 
ary  to  be  with  him.  He  spent  much  of  the  time  in 
prayer.  Several  times  he  asked  for  a  Bible  ;  Mr. 
Greene  sent  him  one.  The  day  before  he  died  the 
missionary  saw  the  Bible  tied  to  the  top  of  a  stick 
about  three  feet  long,  which  was  set  in  the  ground 
near  his  head.  He  asked,  “  Why  do  you  tie  the 
book  there  ?”  The  old  man  answered,  “  I  can’t  read, 
but  I  know  that  is  the  great  Word,  so  when  my 
heart  gets  weak  I  just  look  up  at  the  book  and  say. 
Father,  that  is  your  book  ;  no  one  to  teach  me  to 
read  ;  very  good  you  help  me  ;  then  my  heart  gets 
stronger,  the  bad  goes  away.”  He  told  his  friends 
not  to  bury  him  the  old  heathen  way,  but  to  let  the 


320 


MISSION  TOUR. 


missionary  bury  him,  and  the  next  morning  calmly 
passed  away,  trusting  in  Jesus. 

A  small  residence  was  erected  for  the  missionary, 
and  a  school-house  and  chapel,  thirty  by  forty  feet 
in  size.  Getting  started  in  the  lower  village,  another 
mission  was  established  in  the  upper  one,  twenty- 
five  miles  distant.  This  is  the  darkest  and  most 
wicked  village  on  the  river.  They  do  not  bury  their 
dead,  but  have  a  feast,  make  a  great  fire  in  the 
house,  throw  on  the  body,  and  dance  around  it  while 
it  burns  ;  but  they  are  seeking  for  light.  Heathen¬ 
ism  was  carried  on  by  doctors  and  conjurors  to  a 
great  degree,  ten  being  at  work  when  the  mission¬ 
aries  arrived.  They  preached  the  first  night  to  a 
large  congregation.  The  next  day  they  visited  the 
sick,  giving  them  medicine  and  pointing  them  to 
Jesus.  A  large  number  of  the  people  followed  them 
from  house  to  house,  eager  to  catch  every  word.  On 
Sunday  the  large  house  was  filled  ;  many,  being  un¬ 
able  to  get  even  standing  room,  climbed  up  the  roof 
to  the  open  square,  through  which  the  smoke  escapes, 
and  there  listened  attentively,  through  the  whole 
service,  to  the  precious  word,  although  snow  was 
falling.  On  Monday  they  had  a  meeting,  and  at  the 
close  asked  the  doctors  and  conjurors  to  abandon 
their  deceptive  work.  They  confessed  before  all  the 
people  that  they  knew  that  they  could  not  help  any 
one,  and  promised  that  they  would  give  it  up  and 
burn  their  mysterious  boxes  at  once. 

One  day  an  old  chief  came  to  ask  a  question.  He 
said,  “  The  white  people  are  very  wise  ;  they  know  a 
great  deal,  but  the  Indians  are  a  very  foolish  people  ; 


ON  THE  SKEEN  A. 


321 


they  don’t  like  what  is  good  as  the  whites  do.  Why 
did  not  God  make  us  all  white,  so  that  we  would  all 
be  wise  ?”  The  old  man  seemed  amazed  as  the  mis¬ 
sionary  pointed  him  back  to  our  common  parents, 
to  the  origin  of  sin  ;  and  when  he  told  him  that  it 
was  Christianity  that  had  raised  the  whites  above 
his  people,  the  chief  said,  “  Take  the  door  to  every 
house  ;  tell  everybody  about  God.” 

Missions  being  established  on  the  Naas,  Rev.  Mr. 
Greene  felt  called  upon  to  make  a  canoe  voyage  up 
the  Skeena.  Calling  his  leading  people  together, 
he  explained  to  them  his  wish  to  take  the  Gospel  of 
Jesus  to  the  distant  tribes.  They  were  well  pleased. 
One  said,  ”  V^s,  there  is  food  enough  for  all.  Take  them 
some."  He  writes  : 

”  At  Kish-pi-ax  nearly  four  hundred  people  came 
to  meet  us  as  soon  as  they  saw  us,  and  made  us  feel 
how  glad  they  were  to  see  us  at  their  village.  They 
sat  down,  and  we  told  them  of  Jesus  and  his  power  to 
save.  Never  did  I  see  a  people  so  eager  for  the 
bread  of  life.  At  the  conclusion,  after  service,  the 
chiefs  spoke.  One  said,  ‘  Your  face  makes  me  glad, 
and  your  words  make  my  heart  warm.  I  want 
God’s  word,  and  my  people  want  it,  but  we  have 
no  one  to  teach  us.  We  are  glad  you  came  to 
see  us.  You  have  walked  five  days  across  the 
mountains  ;  now  we  know  you  love  us.  Put  your 
coat  down  ;  stay  with  us,  live  with  us  ;  we  want  to 
love  God.  We  will  give  up  all  the  old  way  and  do 
what  you  tell  us.  If  you  go  away  and  leave  us 
many  moons,  our  hearts  will  get  cold  and  weak.’ 

”  Twenty  miles  more  and  we  were  at  Kit-wan- 


322 


KIT-A-MART. 


gah,  with  four  hundred  and  fifty  souls  hungry  for 
the  bread  of  life.  After  service  they  told  me  they 
wanted  to  be  Christians  ;  that  half  the  village  had 
thrown  away  the  old  dance  and  feast,  and  they 
wished  to  know  when  Sunday  would  come  ;  they 
wanted  to  keep  it  holy,  but  did  not  know  when  it 
came,  and  had  no  one  to  tell  them.  It  is  quite  ex¬ 
citing  travelling  this  river.  These  gigantic  moun¬ 
tains,  the  swift  current,  and  ‘  shooting  the  rapids  ’ 
fill  every  moment  with  interest. 

“A  young  man  very  sick  had  his  friends  bring  him 
twenty-five  miles  to  the  mission.  He  wept  when  he 
saw  us,  and  said  he  wanted  to  hear  about  Jesus  be¬ 
fore  he  died.  He  said,  ‘  I  am  very  wicked  ;  I  want 
to  get  a  new  heart.’  When  we  told  him  to  pray,  he 
replied,  ‘  I  can’t ;  I  don’t  knowhow.’  We  felt  Jesus 
was  very  near  as  we  pointed  him  to  the  ‘  Lamb  of 
God.’  When  we  called  the  next  day  he  held  out 
his  hand,  saying,  ‘  Jesus  has  made  heart  good  ;  now 
you  pray  for  my  wife.’  He  recovered  from  that 
time.  A  few  days  later  his  wife  believed,  and  both 
are  now  happy  in  Jesus.” 

Unable  to  find  an  English  missionary  for  these  vil¬ 
lages,  Mr.  Crosby  stationed  a  native  catechist  at  the 
forks  of  the  river,  central  to  the  several  villages. 

At  Kit-a-mart,  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  south 
of  Fort  Simpson,  a  beginning  has  also  been  made,  and 
a  small  church,  twenty-eight  by  thirty  feet,  erected  by 
the  Indians.  The  lumber  for  this  church  was  taken 
one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  canoes.  The  earnest 
desire  of  these  Indians  for  light,  and  the  exposures 
and  hardships  they  are  willing  to  undergo  in  order 


A  BELLA  BELLA  CHIEF. 


323 


to  secure  buildings  for  school  and  church,  are  some¬ 
thing  wonderful. 

The  most  noted  medicine-man  of  this  place  was 
Bella  Bella  Peter.  Pie  had  been  the  leader  of  a  se¬ 
cret  religious  society  of  man-eaters,  who  exhume 
dead  bodies,  bite  and  pretend  to  eat  them.  He  was 
among  the  first  to  come  to  Christ.  Bringing  out 
all  the  implements  of  his  sorcery,  he  burned  them  in 
the  presence  of  his  people.  For  a  long  time  his  life 
was  in  danger,  his  old  associates  fearing  he  would 
expose  the  secrets  of  their  craft  and  deprive  them  of 
their  gains  and  power  over  the  people.  But  count¬ 
ing  not  his  life  dear,  Peter  continues  to  earnestly 
proclaim  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  in  season  and  out 
of  season. 

The  people  at  Kit-a-mart  belong  to  the  Bella  Bella 
tribe.  And  arrangements  are  made  to  station  a 
Methodist  minister  at  Bella  Bella  to  visit  all  the  vil¬ 
lages  of  that  people.  At  Bella  Bella  a  little  chapel 
has  already  been  erected.  Bella  Bella  Jim,  one  of 
the  head  chiefs  of  the  nation,  was  a  great  gambler 
and  drunkard.  Being  over  at  New  Westminster  he 
was  invited  to  attend  church.  But  he  declined,  say¬ 
ing  ha  was  not  a  church  Indian.  Again  and  again 
he  was  invited,  until  at  length  he  concluded  to  go. 
He  was  so  well  pleased  that  he  continued  to  attend. 
He  concluded  to  give  up  gambling  and  drinking,  and 
after  a  while  saw  himself  a  sinner  and  went  to  Jesus 
for  salvation.  After  attending  for  a  time  the  Ind¬ 
ian  church  at  New  Westminster  and  Victoria  he  re¬ 
turned  home.  He  had  long  been  intending  to  erect 
a  new  house  and  make  a  great  feast  for  all  the  neigh- 


324 


A  HYDAM  CHIEF. 


boring  tribes,  that  he  might  show  his  wealth  and 
get  great  renown.  But  now  all  his  plans  were 
changed,  and  he  concluded  to  build  a  church  house 
that  Jesus  might  get  the  renown.  Thus  was  the 
Bella  Bella  chapel  built.  The  church  finished,  he 
took  his  wife  and  child  in  a  canoe  and  paddled  two 
hundred  miles  to  Fort  Simpson,  to  beg  that  a  min¬ 
ister  might  be  sent  to  occupy  the  new  house  and 
teach  him  and  his  people  about  Jesus,  He  remained 
two  months  at  Fort  Simpson,  under  instruction  in 
the  new  way. 

The  Hydahs,  from  Queen  Charlotte’s  Island,  have 
also  again  and  again  sought  assistance  and  pleaded 
for  a  missionary.  Hydah  George,  in  the  line  of 
royal  descent  and  heir-apparent  to  the  head  chief  of 
his  people,  one  night  lay  upon  his  bed  of  skins 
musing  on  the  past.  He  remembered  the  ambition  of 
his  father  and  uncles  for  great  renown  among  their 
people,  but  they  had  passed  away.  He  thought  of 
the  desire  of  his  sisters  for  wealth  and  display,  to 
secure  which  they  had  gone  into  sin,  which  laid 
them  in  early  graves.  His  proud  family  one  after 
another  had  passed  away  until  only  he  and  a  younger 
brother  remained.  The  inherited  wealth  of  genera¬ 
tions  had  descended  to  him,  and  he  was  about  to  be 
made  the  chief  of  a  powerful  tribe.  But  as  he  re¬ 
membered  how  only  evil  had  come  to  his  family,  he 
determined  to  renounce  the  old  ways  of  his  people 
and  try  the  Christian  way.  Fie  and  his  people  had 
often  asked  that  a  missionary  might  be  sent  to  them, 
but  none  had  come.  He  would  wait  no  longer — he 
would  arise  and  go  where  the  missionary  was.  When 


SEEKING  THE  LIGHT. 


325 


he  announced  his  purpose  to  his  people,  they  were  in 
a  rage.  They  were  afraid  that  the  wealth  of  his 
family  would  be  lost  to  the  tribe,  and  they  deter¬ 
mined  to  prevent  the  carrying  out  of  his  resolution 
by  force,  lie  replied,  “  If  it  is  my  property  you 
want,  take  it,  but  as  for  me,  I  am  going  where  the 
Christians  are. ”  And  the  young  man  gave  up  his 
chieftainship,  distributed  much  of  his  wealth,  and 
taking  his  brother  in  the  canoe  with  him  came  to 
Mr.  Crosby  for  religious  instruction.  Thus  from 
many  tribes  the  people  come  to  him  for  the  Gospel. 
And  his  canoe  voyages  to  visit  them  cover  thousands 
of  miles.  I  have  dwelt  more  at  length  on  these 
missions  to  show  both  the  eagerness  of  the  people 
for  the  Gospel  and  what  can  be  accomplished.  For 
what  the  Methodists  and  the  Church  of  England  can 
do  for  the  natives  in  British  Columbia  can  be  done 
by  the  American  churches  in  Alaska.  They  are  the 
same  people,  with  the  same  customs,  practices,  and 
heathenism. 

Concerning  them  their  missionaries  write  : 

“  The  Indians  of  North  America  are  so  open  to  the 
Gospel  that,  from  the  experience  of  the  past,  the 
Christianizing  of  them  is,  with  God’s  blessing,  sim¬ 
ply  a  matter  of  men  and  money.  They  are  like 
fields  white  for  the  harvest. 

“  In  the  dioceses  of  Rupert’s  Land,  where  devoted 
missionaries  of  the  Canada  Missionary  Society  have 
for  many  years  so  lovingly  labored,  there  has  not 
been  a  mission  where  a  clergyman  has  perseveringly 
worked  in  which  the  next  generation  has  not  become 


AN  OPEN  DOOR. 


326 

to  a  large  extent  Christian.  There  may  be  a  trial  of 
faith  for  a  few  years  ;  then  we  perhaps  hear — as  lately 
in  the  mission  at  Fort  Francis — of  an  Indian  woman 
and  h^r  two  children  making  open  profession  of 
Christianity  and  being  baptized—  first  a  few  drops 
and  then  the  shower.  There  seems  no  limit  in 
Rupert’s  Land  to  the  success  God  vouchsafes,  but 
what  we  make  ourselves.  The  people  are  everywhere 
prepared  to  anticipate,  if  not  spiritual  yet  temporal 
blessings  from  the  presence  of  a  minister  of  Christ. 
There  is  a  sense  of  the  coming  supremacy  of  the 
white  man’s  religion.  But,  above  all,  the  poor 
heathen  Indian  feels  he  worships  he  knows  not  what. 
He  is  conscious  that  if  he  speaks  to  his  Great  Spirit 
he  is  but  speaking  in  the  air.  He  hears  no  response. 
He  stretches  out  his  hand  and  grasps  nothing.  The 
future  is  all  darkness.  Where  the  heart  feels  such  a 
blank,  if  not  a  craving,  the  way  is  very  open  to  the 
sweet  story  of  the  Saviour’s  love.” 

Rev.  R.  Machray,  D.D. 

”  The  people  have  become  convinced  that  the  Lord 
is  the  true  God,  and  many  are  beginning  in  sim¬ 
plicity  and  ignorance,  yet  with  earnestness  and  faith, 
to  pray  for  light,  wisdom,  and  strength.  Many  an 
Indian  has  buried  his  old  heart  in  the  ground,  and 
left  there  his  old  ways.  From  many  a  wigwam, 
where  but  a  few  short  months  ago  charms  were  rev¬ 
erenced  and  demons  invoked,  ascend  with  unfailing 
regularity  the  songs  and  petitions  of  awakened 
men. 

”  Childish  lips  have  learned  to  lisp  ‘  Our  Father 


327 


HOW  LONG  ? 

which  art  in  heaven,’  and  adults  to  sing  ‘  What  a 
friend  we  have  in  Jesus.’ 

The  change  has  not  in  some  cases  been  as  deep 
as  we  could  wish,  but  we  can  afford  to  be  hopeful  of 
those  whose  outward  deportment  has  already  un¬ 
dergone  so  material  a  change.’  Report. 

“  Cannibalism  and  cruel  savagery  have  given  way 
before  the  preaching  of  Christ,  a  Saviour  suited  to 
the  Indians’  deepest  need.’  Souls  has  been  saved 
and  Christian  churches  formed.” 

”  How  they  long  fora  missionary.  They  say,‘  How 
long  before  a  missionary  come  ?  How  long  ?  ’  ” 


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